https://mirror2.jazzofjapan.com/tags/asuka-watanabe/ Recent content in Asuka Watanabe on Jazz of Japan | Brian McCrory Hugo en Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mirror2.jazzofjapan.com/asuka-watanabe-unaffected/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mirror2.jazzofjapan.com/asuka-watanabe-unaffected/ <p>In Japan, Asuka Watanabe is a recognizable name for fans of old jazz standards and Japanese vocals. Her emergence in the live jazz scene in the early 2000s was elevated by her 2004 debut album, <em>Unaffected</em>. The album’s title fits the meaning of unpretentious sincerity, and that is what the music here is all about. Fans of classic jazz will appreciate Watanabe’s great selection of familiar tunes centered on her straight-forward singing without affectation, presented in the traditional format of a jazz vocalist backed up by a jazz piano trio. Her locked-in trio for this recording features equally Hideaki Yoshioka on piano, Koji Yamashita on bass, and Yoshitaka Uematsu on drums.</p>