Yasuko Agawa - Free Soul (2019)

Jazz vocalist and actress Yasuko Agawa was born on October 16, 1951, in Kamakura, Japan. She began her career singing in jazz clubs in 1973 and turned to acting the following year, appearing in such films as Chi o suu bara (1974), Weltkatastrophe 1999? - Die Prophezeiung des Nostradamus (1974) and The Devil's Brood (1975). She then returned to music, releasing her debut album, Love-Bird, in 1978. The album featured ‘American Songbook’ standards such as “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “What a Difference a Day Makes”. The album introduced her to a larger audience, who embraced her mix of jazz, funk, and J-Pop. Further albums included Fine! (1982), Gravy (1984), Lady September (1985), Ouro do Manaus (1988), Your Songs (1990), and In Autumn (2008). One of her most popular singles, 1984’s “L.A. Night” (from the album Gravy), has become a ‘City Pop’ classic and was reissued on 12” single in 2021. Throughout her career, Yasuko Agawa has released over 30 albums and has recorded with iconic Japanese and American jazz musicians including Richard Evans , Wilton Felder , Victor Feldman , Alan Kaplan, Bobby Lyle, Joe Sample . Nobuo Kato, Tommy Flanagan , George Mraz, Art Taylor, Konosuke Saito, Takeru Muraoka, Sir Roland Hanna, Ron Carter, Snooky Young, Chuck Findley, Harvey Mason, and many others.