Kazumi Watanabe

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For the Japanese sport shooter, see Kazumi Watanabe (sport shooter).
For the Japanese long-distance runner, see Kazumi Watanabe (runner).

Kazumi Watanabe
Watanabe performing in 2011
Watanabe performing in 2011
Background information
Born (1953-10-14) October 14, 1953 (age 70)
Tokyo, Japan
GenresJazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1969–present
LabelsColumbia, Denon, Gramavision, Warner
Websitewww.kazumiwatanabe.net

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/co-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)
  • duo with Makoto Ozone, Dandyism (Decca/IMS, 1998)
  • One for All (Gut Bounce, 1999)
  • Dear Tokyo (Sony/Columbia, 2001)
  • Beyond the Infinite (Universal/Polygram, 2001)
  • Guitar Renaissance (WEA/East West, 2003)
  • Mo' Bop (East Works Entertainment, 2003)
  • Mo' Bop II (East Works Entertainment, 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 (East Works Entertainment, 2006)
  • Nowadays (Warner Music, 2008)
  • Jazz Impression (2009)
  • Acoustic Flakes (2009)
  • USB40（2010)
  • Lotus Night (ewe, 2011)
  • Tricoroll (Cristal, 2011)
  • Guitar Renaissance 4 (WEA, 2011)
  • Tricoroll (ewe, 2011)
  • Guitar Renaissance V (ewe, 2012)
  • Live at Iridium（ewe, 2012)
  • Spinning Globe（Warner Music, 2013)
  • Guitar Is Beautiful KW45 (Warner Music, 2016)[6]

Compilations

  • Kazumi's Music File 84–94
  • Better Days of Kazumi Watanabe

DVDs

References

  1. ^ 渡辺 香津美
  2. ^ Kazumi Watanabe Biography – ARTISTdirect Music
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ "Kazumi Watanabe, Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kazumi Watanabe | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kazumi Watanabe.
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