Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 67 - The Most Moving Musician Interviews

The magnificent musician I interviewed, Toshiko Akiyoshi. Simply breathtaking!

Following my previous feature on Orquesta de la Luz, the salsa band with my musician friends, I'd like to introduce another incredible musician I had the privilege of interviewing for a news program: Toshiko Akiyoshi.
Akiyoshi-san is, of course, a world-renowned jazz pianist.
Hamamatsu is known as a 'city of music,' hosting a jazz festival every year. The Toshiko Akiyoshi Orchestra was invited to perform, and I had the opportunity to cover the event. Akiyoshi-san's 'simply breathtaking' words still serve as my personal motto today.

Toshiko Akiyoshi's History

Born in Manchuria in 1929, Toshiko Akiyoshi encountered jazz in a dance hall for U.S. troops stationed there, and began her path as a pianist. In 1951, at the age of 21, she formed the Cozy Quartet with Sadao Watanabe and others. In 1956, at the age of 26, she went to the United States alone and studied jazz at Berklee College of Music. In 1962, she joined Charles Mingus's band. She married Lew Tabackin in 1967 and formed the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award 14 times. In 1999, she became the first Japanese person inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame, and in 2006, she received the NEA Jazz Masters Award, the highest honor in the jazz world. She is truly a jazz giant.

The Toshiko Akiyoshi Orchestra

The Yamaha Jazz Festival, held annually in Hamamatsu, celebrated its 29th year in 2021. I've covered the Hamamatsu Jazz Festival several times, and of all the musicians I've interviewed, Ms. Akiyoshi's words left the deepest impression.br /> The Toshiko Akiyoshi Orchestra at the Hamamatsu Jazz Festival gathered top-notch musicians from across Japan. Among them was Yoichi Murata, a trombonist and arranger from Shizuoka Prefecture. I had previously interviewed Mr. Murata about the Yamaha Silent Brass, and I thought it would be valuable to portray Ms. Toshiko Akiyoshi from his perspective.

Toshiko Akiyoshi's Background

As mentioned earlier, Ms. Akiyoshi went to the United States alone in 1956.
America was a country rife with racial discrimination. In 1980, when I was in the U.S. taking photographs, I was mocked by young white men in a car who yelled, 'HEY, YOU...GET A YOUR JOB!' When I told my uncle and aunt, who were taking care of me at the time, about this, they told me, 'To those kinds of people, you should say, "NOT YOUR BUSINESS!"' It was a memorable lesson. To put it in Miles Davis's terms, perhaps, 'SO WHAT!'
In America, there's a deeply rooted culture of discrimination against Asians by Black people, and also misogyny. Even in today's America, discrimination and violence against Asians are reported in the news.
If this was the situation in the 1980s, one can only imagine how much worse it was in the 1950s, when Ms. Akiyoshi went to the United States.
It's unimaginable what it must have been like for a Japanese woman, a person of Asian descent from the Far East, to live in American society at that time. Behind the glory Ms. Akiyoshi achieved, there must have been incredibly harsh circumstances far beyond our comprehension.

■ Recommended Album: Toshiko Akiyoshi / Long Yellow Road (1975)

A masterpiece by the Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band. A jazz pianist who went to the United States alone, expressing her identity as a Japanese woman. She made the name Toshiko Akiyoshi known throughout the American jazz world. In addition to traditional jazz idioms, melodies unique to Japan are scattered throughout.

Recommended Track: "Long Yellow Road"

This piece encapsulates Ms. Akiyoshi's journey and sentiments in America. It's one of her signature and most celebrated compositions. The themes, evoking a beautiful Japanese sensibility, linger in the heart. Listening to it while reflecting on Ms. Akiyoshi's life will undoubtedly provide a deeper emotional connection.

My Interview with Toshiko Akiyoshi: The Answer Was…

Ms. Akiyoshi was remarkably cooperative during the interview. She treated even an inexperienced young journalist like myself with great courtesy. Her demeanor was dignified, and she was truly a wonderful woman.
My purpose in the interview was to capture the essence of Toshiko Akiyoshi through the lens of Yoichi Murata, a young trombonist from Shizuoka who was invited to perform with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Orchestra.
At the end of the interview, I asked Ms. Akiyoshi, 'If you have any message for young musician Yoichi Murata, please share it.'
Her response deeply moved me.
'The most important thing for a musician is to observe society. Observe society!'
I had expected a musical answer, but Ms. Akiyoshi's response was simple and powerful.
I understood that musicians are not merely performers of music, but that it is crucial to infuse their music with messages gleaned from observing society, and that's what Ms. Akiyoshi was conveying. Her words carried the strong message of a Japanese woman who had belonged to and survived in American society for so long.
When I reflect on Ms. Akiyoshi's life and the creation of 'Long Yellow Road,' I hear a different resonance in the music.
Sharing such a rewarding moment with Ms. Akiyoshi became an irreplaceable treasure for me.

Featured Musician, Album, Recommended Track, and Equipment

• Artist: Toshiko Akiyoshi & Lew Tabackin
• Album: "Long Yellow Road"
• Track: "Long Yellow Road"
• Equipment: Acoustic Piano

The “sound & person” column is made up of contributions from you.
For details about contributing, click here.