Kazumi Watanabe
Kazumi Watanabe | |
|---|---|
 Watanabe performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | October 14, 1953 Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Columbia, Denon, Gramavision, Warner |
| Website | www |
Kazumi Watanabe (渡辺 香津美, Watanabe Kazumi) is a Japanese guitarist. He was born on October 14, 1953 in Tokyo, Japan.[1][2]
Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo.[3] He released his first album in 1971. In 1979, he formed a jazz rock band with some of Japan's leading studio musicians, and recorded the album Kylyn.[4] During that year, he toured with the pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra.[3]
In the 1980s, he toured as guest soloist with Steps, the Brecker Brothers, and Word of Mouth, led by Jaco Pastorius. Watanabe created the jazz-rock/jazz-fusion band Mobo in 1983 with Mitsuru Sawamura (saxophone), Ichiko Hashimoto (piano), Gregg Lee (bass), Shuichi Murakami (drums), and Kiyohiko Senba.[3]
During the eighties Watanabe released the jazz-rock albums To Chi Ka (1980), Mobo Club (1983) Mobo Splash (1985), and Spice of Life (1987). A DVD was issued from the tour which featured drummer Bill Bruford and bassist Jeff Berlin, who also played on the record.
In the 1990s Kazumi assembled an all-Japanese line-up called Resonance Vox (Vagabonde Suzuki on bass, Rikiya Higashihara on drums, Tomohiro Yahiro on percussion). This band has released several adventurous fusion albums.
Discography
As leader[5]
- Infinite (Toshiba Express, 1971)
- Monday Blues (RCA, 1975)
- Endless Way (Columbia, 1975)
- Milky Shade (Union, 1976)
- Olive's Step (Better Days, 1977)
- Mermaid Boulevard (Inner City, 1978)
- Tokyo Joe (Denon, 1978)
- Lonesome Cat (Denon, 1978)
- Kylyn (Better Days, 1979)
- Kylyn Live (Better Days, 1979)
- To Chi Ka (Denon, 1980)
- Dogatana (Denon, 1981)
- Ganesia (Polygram, 1990)
- Mobo, Vol. 1 (Gramavision, 1982)
- Mobo, Vol. 2 (Gramavision, 1983)
- Mobo Club (Gramavision, 1983)
- Mobo Splash (Gramavision, 1985)
- The Spice of Life (Gramavision, 1987)
- The Spice of Life Too (Gramavision, 1988)
- Kilowatt (Gramavision, 1989)
- Romanesque (Polygram, 1990)
- Pandora (Gramavision, 1991)
- O.X.O (Polygram, 1992)
- Resonance Vox (Domo, 1993)
- Jigo-Jtoku (Domo, 1994)
- Oyatsu (Universal/Polygram, 1994)
- Oyatsu 2 (Polygram, 1995)
- Talk You All Tight (Columbia, 1995)
- Esprit (Polygram, 1996)
- Dandyism (Decca/IMS, 1998)
- Dear Tokyo (Sony/Columbia, 2001)
- One for All (Gut Bounce, 1999)
- Beyond the Infinite (Universal/Polygram, 2001)
- Guitar Renaissance (WEA/East West, 2003)
- Mo' Bop (2003)
- Mo' Bop II (2004)
- Kaleidoscope (J-Room Jazz, 2004)
- Village in Bubbles (J-Room Jazz, 2004)
- Guitar Renaissance 2 (Warner Music, 2005)
- Guitar Renaissance 3 (Warner Music, 2006)
- Mo' Bop III (2006)
- Nowadays (Warner Music, 2008)
- Guitar Renaissance 4 (WEA, 2011)
- Tricoroll (ewe, 2011)[6]
Compilations
- Kazumi's Music File 84–94
- Better Days of Kazumi Watanabe
DVDs
- Forbidden Plays (1998)
- Australia Land of Dreams (1999)
- The Spice of Life in Concert (2004)
- Mo' Bop (2005)
References
- ^ 渡辺 香津美
- ^ Kazumi Watanabe Biography – ARTISTdirect Music
- ^ a b c Iwanami, Yozo; Sugiyama, Kazunori; Kernfeld, Barry (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 886. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ コロムビア LPファクトリー／渡辺香津美／KYLYN Archived September 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kazumi Watanabe, Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Kazumi Watanabe | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
External links
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
