Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫, Watanabe Sadao, born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who plays alto saxophone and sopranino saxophone. He is known for his bossa nova recordings, although his work encompasses many styles, with collaborations from musicians all over the world.[1]
Career
Watanabe was born on 1 February 1933 in Utsunomiya, Japan. His father, a professional musician, sang and played the biwa.[1] Watanabe was attracted to jazz from an early age, in part due to the strong cultural influence stemming from the American post-war presence in Japan.[2] He learned the clarinet while in high school after convincing his father over the course of six weeks to buy him a second-hand instrument.[1][2]
In 1951, Watanabe moved to Tokyo and began playing the alto saxophone. He started studying the flute in 1953 with Ririko Hayashi from the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.[1] Watanabe joined Toshiko Akiyoshi's Cozy Quartet and began leading the group when Akiyoshi moved to the USA.[1] By 1958, Watanabe had performed with leading musicians and quartets.[3][4] In 1961, his first album as a leader, the self-titled Sadao Watanabe, was released.[5]
Watanabe returned to Tokyo in 1965.[6] There, he became the director of the new Yamaha Institute of Popular Music, a school that based its curriculum on Berklee's.[1] From 1966 onwards, he toured Japan and internationally with his own quartet, playing bop, Brazilian music, jazz-rock, soul, and pop music.[1][5] He played with the John Coltrane quintet in Tokyo while the group was touring Japan in 1966.[7] By the time Watanabe played at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival, he was a well-known and often highly-regarded jazz performer.[5]
In 1969, Watanabe began working part time as a radio broadcaster, promoting jazz across Japan. From 1972, his programme My Dear Life ran for 20 years. He continued to perform internationally, including performances at Montreux Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival. In 1970, he released his album Round Trip, featuring Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, and Miroslav Vitouš.[8]
Watanabe continued performing and recording throughout the 1970s and 1980s, amassing a catalogue of more than 70 albums as leader.[1]
In addition to his musical career, Watanabe has published six photography books in Japan.[9]
Live with Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Masahiko Togashi, Sadanori Nakamure, Hideo Miyata
1967
Charlie Mariano & Sadao Watanabe
Victor
1967
with Charlie Mariano, Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Masahiko Togashi
1967
Iberian Waltz
Takt
1967
with Charlie Mariano, Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Masahiko Togashi, Fumio Watanabe
1967
Bossa Nova Concert
Takt
1967
Live with Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Masahiko Togashi, Sadanori Nakamure, Hideo Miyata and Strings Orchestra
1967
Music Break
Takt
1969
Live with Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Masahiko Togashi, Sadanori Nakamure, Hideo Miyata and Strings Orchestra
1968
We Got a New Bag
Takt
1968
with Charlie Mariano, Masabumi Kikuchi, Masanaga Harada, Fumio Watanabe, Yoshiaki Masuo, Tadashi Shigami, others
1968
Sadao Meets Brazilian Friends
Takt
1968
with Brazilian 8: Jose Ferreira(as), Godinho Filho(as), Carlos Alberto Alcantara(ts), Waldir De Barros(tp), Aparecido Bianchi(org, p), Joao Carlos Pegorro(vib, p), Olmir Seocaer(g), Douglas De oliveira(ds), Mathias Da Silva Matos(b)
with Cesar Camargo Mariano(key), Marcelo Mariano(el-b), Pantico Rocha(ds), Paulinho Da Costa(per), Leila Pinheiro(vo), Wilson De Castro(vo), and others
1994
A Night with Strings Vol. 3 – Sadao Plays Parker
Fun House
1995
with Russell Ferrante, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, and Tokyo Symphony Strings
with Akira Onozuka(p,key), Jun Kajiwara(g), Tomohito Aoki(b), Kouichi Osamu(b), Masaharu Ishikawa(ds), Olodum Juvenil(per), Junior High School Students in Tochigi(cho), Cesar Camargo Mariano(key), Leila Pinheiro(vo), Vaneese Thomas(vo), and others
^Soejima, Teruto (2018) [2002]. Free Jazz in Japan: A Personal History. Translated by Kato, David Hopkins. Public Bath Press. p. 19. ISBN978-4-9908636-5-4.
^Porter, Lewis; DeVito, Chris; Fujioka, Yasuhiro; Wild, David; Schmaler, Wolf (2008). The John Coltrane Reference. Routledge. p. 350.
