Jazz from Japan, part 2
three more picks, featuring vocalists
Sometimes I stumble into a listening theme without really thinking about it, mindlessly reaching for whatever feels right. I found myself falling into this over the weekend, queuing up multiple jazz vocalists from Japan while getting some work done.
Japanese jazz vocalists are quite underrated in my opinion, often getting overshadowed by the long list of excellent vocalists from the U.S. There are quite a few fabulous artists that really deserve a bit of a spotlight, so the decision to make this my next ‘Jazz from Japan’ theme was an easy one to make.
Junko Mine - A Child is Born (1976)
While not very well-known, Junko released a handful of albums from the mid 1970s through the mid 1980s featuring her wonderful tone and lovely approach to jazz standards. While not a whole lot of information is out there about her and her history, it appears that she left music in the mid-1980s until her passing in 2004.
This album in particular is a favorite of mine. Junko is consistent throughout with beautiful singing and phrasing on a selection of mostly slower standards and ballads, with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis providing wonderful support. A great album for a relaxing time.
Koji Moriyama with the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio - Night and Day (1979)
Another vocalist (and conga player!) with a very limited catalog of releases is the wonderful Koji Moriyama. Only releasing three albums in the late-1970s — two of which were with the legendary Tsuyoshi Yamamoto trio — his albums are easy recommendations.
This was his first release and it’s absolutely wonderful. Koji has a very distinct vocal style and is quite adept at scatting, which he demonstrates on a few tracks, along with some conga playing. It is a really nice selection with both upbeat and peppy standards as well as laid back ballads. Hard not to like this!
Ayako Hosokawa - A Whisper of Love (1993)
After recording a few albums in the late-1970s, Ayako didn’t record another vocal album until 1993 with this release. She does a wonderful job taking on a long list of standards on this fantastic album, which was recorded in such high quality it is quite popular in audiophile circles.
From a short bio:
At the age of 14, Ayako Hosokawa was already performing in the American military clubs in Japan, picking up the English language by singing international pop songs of that time. Now, she represents feeling and soul within her songs, no matter whether she sings in English or Japanese. After her marriage, she moved to the United States and was discovered and sponsored by Earl "Fatha" Hines. She found enthusiastic fans touring San Francisco, Las Vegas, Montreal and lots of places in California, performing in the clubs, local radio stations or on TV. In the '80s, she started a roving life between the United States and Japan. Due to her recordings for TBM and performances for radio stations and on TV, she became one of the best-known pop and jazz singers throughout her country.