Maki Asakawa - Maki Asakawa UK Selection (2016)

Jazz and blues vocalist, lyricist, and composer Maki Asakawa (浅川マキ) was born on January 27, 1942, in Ishikawa Prefecture. After a short stint working at the town office in her small village, she headed for Tokyo to pursue music. She started by playing at United States military bases and cabarets, where she refined her style, which was largely informed by Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson. Asakawa released her first EP, Tokyo Banka, on the Victor imprint in 1967. In 1968, Asakawa got her big break when she appeared for three days running at the Shinjuku underground theater known as Sasoriza, a project of underground playwright Shuji Terayama. Shortly thereafter, she signed with Toshiba (currently EMI Music Japan), making her official major label debut in July 1969 with Yo ga aketara / Kamome. Since then, Asakawa has consistently released music and appeared live, garnering praise for her unique interpretation of jazz and blues.