Jazz / Instrumental Pop, Crossover Jazz
Sadao Watanabe - Sax (Alto), Flute
Great Jazz Trio
Hank Jones - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Eiko Ishioka Design
Motoko Naruse Design
Toshinari Koinuma Executive Producer
Yukio Morisaki Director
Most of the recordings of Japanese altoist Sadao Watanabe that have been made available in the U.S. through the years have been aimed at the so-called "contemporary" market. This one is one of the exceptions. Watanabe, joined by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, sticks to bebop. Three of the eight selections are Watanabe's but the other five include two Billy Strayhorn tunes and three other standards. This LP features Sadao Watanabe at his best. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Sadao Watanabe
Active Decades: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Feb 01, 1933 in Utsunomiya, Japan
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Crossover Jazz, Fusion, Instrumental Pop, Jazz-Pop, Neo-Bop
Sadao Watanabe has long had a split musical personality. He alternates excellent bebop dates with pop albums. Watanabe learned clarinet and alto in high school, and in the 1950s he moved to Tokyo, joining Toshiko Akiyoshi's bop-oriented group in 1953. When the pianist moved to the U.S. in 1956, Watanabe took over the band. He attended Berklee during 1962-1965 and had the opportunity to work with Gary McFarland, Chico Hamilton, and Gabor Szabo. However, throughout his career Watanabe has remained mostly based in Japan, where he is a major influence on younger players. He has recorded steadily through the years, most notably with Chick Corea in New York (1970) and with the Galaxy All-Stars (1978). Watanabe's bop records are inspired by Charlie Parker, and his pop dates by Brazilian-flavored music.
---Scott Yanow and Thom Jurek, All Music Guide |
