Kazumi Watanabe
Encyclopedia
Kazumi Watanabe is a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...

  guitarist, from Tokyo, Japan. He was born on October 14, 1953

Kazumi learned to play guitar from Sadanori Nakamure, one of Japan's grandmaster guitarists. Kazumi released his first recording in 1971, and quickly became a promising guitarist in his own right. In 1979, he formed an all-star band with some of Japan's leading studio musicians, and recorded the album Kylyn
Kylyn
Kylyn is a 1979 fusion album by Kazumi Watanabe . It was released in June 1979, whilst the recording sessions took place between April and May. Kylyn was also the name of Watanabe's group at the time, and at times it featured fellow Ryuichi Sakamoto on synths and keyboards...

, which is considered a masterpiece in fusion music.

During the eighties Watanabe released a considerable number of jazz-rock albums. To Chi Ka (1980), with its funk influences and bright sound, is probably the most famous early title. Some latter albums, such as Mobo Club (1983) and Mobo Splash (1985) display more experimental tendencies. But the most famous of all is Spice of Life (1987) which is done in a strongly melodic style. A DVD has been issued from the tour in which the music was played with drummer Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...

 and bassist Jeff Berlin
Jeff Berlin
Jeff Berlin is an American jazz, jazz fusion and progressive rock electric bass player.Jeff Berlin's bass playing is somewhat similar to that of Jaco Pastorius, though Berlin plays a fretted bass and has stated his distaste for Jaco imitators.-Early life:Jeff Berlin was born to parents who were...

 (who also play on the studio record). In the 1990s Kazumi assembled an all-Japanese line-up called Resonance Vox (Vagabonde Suzuki on bass, Rikiya Higahihara on drums, Tomohiro Yahiro on percussion). This band has released several adventurous fusion albums.

Watanabe has worked with numerous musicians such as Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd is an American session and studio drummer, notable for his work with popular musicians from a wide range of genres.-Biography:...

, Tony Levin
Tony Levin
Tony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....

, Jeff Berlin, Bill Bruford, Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...

, Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...

, Patrick Moraz
Patrick Moraz
Patrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...

, Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...

, Richard Bona
Richard Bona
Richard Bona is a jazz bassist and musician. His real African name, as he said live in Montreal in a show with Bobby McFerrin, is Bona Pinder Yayumayalolo...

, and Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...

. Since 1996, he has been a visiting professor of music at Senzoku Gakuen College. He endorses Steinberger
Steinberger
Steinberger refers to a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The word Steinberger can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that produced them...

 and Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith , is a luthier and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars.Smith is originally from Bowie, Maryland. He made his first guitar while at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month...

 guitars, and has been chosen Best Jazzman 24 years in a row by Swing Journal's annual poll.

Discography

Kazumi Watanabe has released over 30 studio, live and compilation albums, and several DVDs.

Studio and live albums

  • Infinite (1971)
  • Monday Blues
  • Endless Way (1974)
  • Milky Shade (1976)
  • Olive's Step (1977)
  • Mermaid Boulevard
    Mermaid Boulevard
    -Track listing:-Personnel:*Kazumi Watanabe - Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Synthesizer*Lee Ritenour - Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Arrangement*Patrice Rushen - Electric Piano & Clavinet*Ernie Watts - Tenor Sax & Flute*Steve Forman - Percussion...

    (1978)
  • Lonesome Cat (1978) Denon Records
    Denon Records
    Denon Records was a Japanese record label owned by Denon, distributed by A&M Records from 1990 through 1992. This was a reissue program that included 390 jazz and classical music titles that were issued on compact disc.-Artists:*Eliane Elias*Peter Erskine...

  • Tokyo Joe
    Tokyo Joe (album)
    Tokyo Joe is a 1978 album by Ryuichi Sakamoto and guitarist Kazumi Watanabe.The album was originally released in Japan in 1978, then re-released also in the Western countries in the 1980s.-Track listing:# "Tokyo Joe"# "The End of Asia"...

    (1978)
  • Village in Bubbles
  • Kylyn
    Kylyn
    Kylyn is a 1979 fusion album by Kazumi Watanabe . It was released in June 1979, whilst the recording sessions took place between April and May. Kylyn was also the name of Watanabe's group at the time, and at times it featured fellow Ryuichi Sakamoto on synths and keyboards...

    (1979)
  • Kylyn Live (1979)
  • To Chi Ka
    To Chi Ka
    To Chi Ka is a fusion album by Kazumi Watanabe. It was recorded between 1979-1980 during a very prolific period for Watanabe and then released in 1980. The album features some of the most acclaimed jazz and rock musicians; part of them will follow Watanabe in other projects, too...

    (1980)
  • Talk You All Tight (1981)
  • Dogatana
    Dogatana
    Dogatana is a 1981 album by Japanese jazz guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. As usual for Watanabe, it features many acclaimed musicians. The album, compared to other Watanabe works, has a very acoustic sound and is characterized by peculiar guitar "duets"....

    (1981)
  • Ganesia
  • Mobo, Vol. 1 (1982)
  • Mobo, Vol. 2 (1983)
  • Mobo Club (1983)
  • Mobo Splash (1985)
  • The Spice of Life (1987)
  • The Spice of Life Too
    The Spice of Life Too
    The Spice of Life Too is an album by the Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe; featuring Bill Bruford, Jeff Berlin and Peter Vettese. It was released on the Gramavision record label in 1988...

    (1988)
  • Kilowatt
    Kilowatt (album)
    Kilowatt is an album by jazz fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, originally released on audio cassette in 1989. In 1991 it was released again on cassette, CD and LP.-Track listing:All songs by Kazumi Watanabe unless otherwise noted....

    (1989)
  • Romanesque (1990)
  • Pandora (1991)
  • O.X.O
  • Resonance Vox
  • Jigo-Jtoku
  • Oyatsu (1994)
  • Oyatsu 2 (1995)
  • Espirit (1996)
  • Dandyism (1998)
  • Dear Tokyo (2001)
  • One for All
    One for All (Kazumi Watanabe album)
    One for All is a 1999 album by Kazumi Watanabe. It was recorded live in New York, at the Bottom Line, on March 31, 1999 between 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM, according to the album's booklet...

    (1999)
  • Beyond the Infinite (Kazumi Watanabe album) (2001)
  • Guitar Renaissance (2003)
  • Mo' Bop (2003)
  • Mo' Bop II
    Mo' Bop II
    Mo' Bop II is an album by guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. It was released in 2004 and features only two other members in the lineup, besides Watanabe. The album is part of a project called "New Electric Trio" which began in 2003 with Mo' Bop and continued till 2006 with Mo' Bop III...

    (2004)
  • Guitar Renaissance 2 (2005)
  • Guitar Renaissance 3 (2006)
  • Mo' Bop III (2006)
  • Guitar Renaissance 4 (2011)

DVDs

  • Forbidden Plays (1998)
  • Australia Land of Dreams (1999)
  • The Spice of Life in Concert (2004)
  • Mo' Bop (2005)

External links

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