Maki Akasawa: The Forgotten Japanese Jazz Legend With A Haunting Yet Beautiful Voice
Japanese Jazz has always been held in high regard by fans, critics, and musicians all over the world. While Ryo Fukui, Masayoshi Takanaka, and Sadao Watanabe have always spread and instilled a sense of joy and nostalgia among listeners with their cheerful tunes, there is an artist lost to obscurity whose music is much more cathartic.
Maki Asakawa got her first big break when she signed with Toshiba Japan (now EMI music) when she released her popular songs 夜が明けたら (Yo ga aketara; At the Break of Dawn) and かもめ (Kamome; Gull) in 1969.
Through Maki’s music, one can feel the sorrow and pain that she has gone through in her life. It’s almost as if she has given up expecting love and empathy from people around her, desperately crying for help as the world moves on.
This is best exemplified in her Japanese cover of Bessie Smith’s Hustlin’ Dan. While one can almost feel the strength and ferocity coming through Bessie's Smiths declaration of pride and respect for man Dan, Maki’s version is much more fragile, riddled with insecurity as she keeps trying to convince herself that Dan loves her.
Even though Maki Asakawa sings in a language that most of us don’t understand, her music has the power to heal those who have been emotionally wounded, proving that music is truly universal.
Also read: Jazz Kissa: Japan's Jazz Revolution
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