The ensemble came together in 1999 when Otomo Yoshihide invited two prominent jazz saxophonists, Naruyoshi Kikuchi and Tsugami Kenta, backed by Hiroaki Mizutani/Yasuhiro Yoshigaki's rhythm section, to record three compositions for his [url=https://discogs.com/release/175466]Music of Takeo Yamashita[/url] album. In July of the same year, the New Jazz Quintet debuted on-stage at Shinjuku's Pit Inn and recorded four bonus tracks for Aryan Kaganof's [url=https://discogs.com/release/1779662]Shabondama Elegy[/url] soundtrack at Earth Studio in Tokyo. ONJQ toured across Europe, with stops in Italy, Netherlands, and Switzerland, and participated in Music Unlimited Festival in Wels, Austria, in November '99 (performance documented on [url=https://discogs.com/release/353890]Mottomo Otomo[/url] CD compilation).

In 2001, Quintet released its debut album, Flutter, featuring special guests Sachiko M (sinewaves) and Japanoise veteran Masami Akita (EMS synth) at John Zorn's New York-based Pit Inn label. The following two domestic Japanese CD releases, [url=https://discogs.com/release/417990]Live[/url] on Pit Inn and ONJQ + OE studio collaboration with Tatsuya Oe on Pit Inn, solidified Otomo's reputation as a band leader, prompting some critics to invent the new term "onkyō-jazz" for his Quintet. ONJQ continued touring Japan, Belgium, and Austria and traveled to the USA in October 2002, performing with Sachiko M at the Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago.

In February 2004, Kikuchi left the ensemble, with Alfred Harth (reeds) standing in for him at subsequent shows in Japan, Poland and France. In August, the Quintet gave the final performance in a "classic" line-up (with Mats Gustafsson on sax) at the Jazz Em Agosto festival, published two years later as ONJQ - Live In Lisbon CD by Portuguese label Pit Inn. For the next few years, Otomo primarily focused on the expanded [url=https://discogs.com/artist/145225]New Jazz Ensemble[/url] and only played with the Quintet's "core" twice at Shinjuku's Pit Inn in Tokyo: as New Jazz Quartet in December 2006 and with Axel Dörner (trumpet) in August 2007. Three years later, while recording with his newly-formed [url=https://discogs.com/artist/5844303]New Jazz Trio[/url], Otomo brought together a one-off Quintet configuration with Sachiko M (sinewaves) and Jim O'Rourke on EMS synth; these sessions appeared on Pit Inn's 'twin' [url=https://discogs.com/release/2685881]dmf-138[/url]/[url=https://discogs.com/release/3625996]dmf-139[/url] CD albums.

Original ONJQ line-up (1999–2004)
Otomo Yoshihide — electric & acoustic guitars
Hiroaki Mizutani — bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki — drums, trumpet
Tsugami Kenta — saxophone
Naruyoshi Kikuchi — saxophone

Most recent formation (2018)
Otomo Yoshihide — guitars
Hiroaki Mizutani — bass
Yasuhiro Yoshigaki — drums
Osamu Imagome — trombone
Shinpei Ruike — trumpet

Intermittent members & guests
Yoshinori Okuno — alto saxophone
Tatsuki Masuko — electronics
Kumiko Takara — vibraphone
Ko Ishikawa — sho
Taisei Aoki — trombone
Masahiko Okura — prepared sax, bass clarinet
Taku Unami — laptop, guitar
Axel Dörner — trumpet
Cor Fuhler — piano, synthesizers
Kahimi Karie, Phew, Jun Togawa, Mariko Hamada — vocals