Kazumi Watanabe – Wikipedia

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Japanese guitarist

Musical artist

Kazumi Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺 香津美, Hepburn: Watanabe Kazumi, born October 14, 1953 in Tokyo[1][2]) is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence.[3][4]

Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo.[5] 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.[6] During that year, he toured with the pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra.[5]

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.[5]

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, Yahiro Tomohiro on percussion). This band has released several adventurous fusion albums.

Discography[edit]

As leader[edit]

  • Infinite (Express, 1971)
  • Endless Way (Columbia, 1975)
  • Monday Blues (RCA, 1976)
  • Milky Shade (Union, 1976)
  • Olive’s Step (Better Days, 1977)
  • Guitar Work Shop (Flying Dog, 1977)
  • Lonesome Cat (Denon, 1978)
  • Kaleidoscope (Denon, 1978)
  • Mermaid Boulevard (Alfa, 1978)
  • Tokyo Joe (Denon, 1978)
  • Village in Bubbles (Better Days, 1978)
  • Kylyn (Better Days, 1979)
  • Kylyn Live (Better Days, 1979)
  • To Chi Ka (Better Days, 1980)
  • Dogatana (Denon, 1981)
  • Mobo (Domo, 1984)
  • Mobo I (Gramavision, 1984)
  • Mobo II (Gramavision, 1984)
  • Mobo Live (Domo, 1985)
  • Mobo Splash (Domo, 1985)
  • The Spice of Life (Domo, 1987)
  • The Spice of Life Too (Gramavision, 1988)
  • Kilowatt (Gramavision, 1989)
  • Romanesque (Domo, 1990)
  • Pandora (Polydor, 1991)
  • Esprit (Domo, 1996)
  • Dandyism (Domo, 1998)
  • One for All (EmArcy, 1999)
  • Beyond the Infinite (Dozo, 2001)
  • Guitar Renaissance (EWE, 2003)
  • Mo’ Bop II (East Works, 2004)
  • Guitar Renaissance II (EWE, 2005)
  • Guitar Renaissance III (EWE, 2006)
  • Kaihogen (Cube, 2006)
  • Guitar Renaissance IV (EWE, 2007)
  • Acoustic Flakes (EWE, 2009)
  • Jazz Impression (EWE, 2009)
  • Tricoroll (EWE, 2011)
  • Mo’ Bop III (EWE, 2011)[7]
  • Guitar Renaissance V (EWE, 2012)
  • Live at Iridium (EWE, 2012)
  • Spinning Globe (Warner, 2013)
  • En Vivo! (Victor, 2015)
  • Gracim (Warner, 2016)
  • Lotus Night (Warner, 2016)

As sideman[edit]

Watanabe performing in 2006

References[edit]

  1. ^ 渡辺 香津美
  2. ^ Kazumi Watanabe Biography – ARTISTdirect Music
  3. ^ 聖飢魔II30th Anniversary ルーク篁参謀／ジェイル大橋代官 Guitar Magazine Special Edition. Rittor Music. 2015. p. 98. ISBN 9784845627134.
  4. ^ “SUGIZO、亡くなった恩師「DEAD END」足立祐二さんに捧げる魂のギター「大切なメッセージを込めた」”. Encount (in Japanese). December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ “コロムビア LPファクトリー／渡辺香津美／KYLYN”. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010.
  7. ^ “Mo’bop, Vol. 3 – Kazumi Watanabe, Kazumi Watanabe New Electric Trio”. Retrieved March 31, 2022 – via www.allmusic.com.

External links[edit]