Kazumi Watanabe

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]

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
Background information
Born (1953-10-14) October 14, 1953
Tokyo, Japan
GenresJazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1969–present
LabelsColumbia, Denon, Gramavision, Warner
Associated actsMobo
Websitewww.kazumiwatanabe.net

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. Iwanami, Yozo; Sugiyama, Kazunori; Kernfeld, Barry (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 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.
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