Mieko Hirota - JAZZ TIME (1973)

This 1973 album by female singer Mieko Hirota, nicknamed "MICO" and hailed as the "Queen of Pop" at the time, is a must-have for fans of Japanese music. It's part of the COLUMBIA Best Vocal Series, which also features Martha Miyake and Yoshiko Goto. The arrangements were done by pianist and composer Yuji Ohno, known for his work on numerous TV anime, dramas, and films, including "Lupin the Third," and jazz pianist and composer Hiromasa Suzuki, also known as Korgen, who has worked on works by Mieko Hirota and Kimiko Kasai. This masterpiece jazz vocal album features standards throughout, including "Up Jumped Spring," a punchy rendition of a Lincoln-Harvard standard; "Satin' Doll," a take on a Duke Ellington classic showcasing Hirota's jazz sensibility; "But Not For Me," a light-hearted take on a Gershwin standard also famous for Chet Baker's classic performance; "I Want to Be Happy," a swinging number featuring explosive high-speed scat singing from an old musical; and "Poor Butterfly," a heartfelt ballad rendition of a standard also famously performed by Sarah Vaughan. This is a vocal album you can listen to all the way through with confidence.