(342) MUSIC AND ME (Nov. 8) Japanese Jazz Singer Nao Yasuda

MEETING NAO YASUDA IN PERSON
Jazz singer of Japan Ms. Nao Yasuda visited Palau for just a short period of time. It makes a memorable moment for Roberto Hernandez, Palau Royal Resort musician, to meet a colleague from other places. DOUMO ARIGATO GOZAIMASU. (Photo from Ms. Nao's CD cover)



           JAPANESE JAZZ SINGER
                  NAO YASUDA

ON AUGUST 23, 2008, three Japanese ladies had dinner at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort in front of the piano – elevated section.

One of them requested me to play jazz music. I played some jazz (especially Bossa Nova tempo) and when I played “Wave”, they are excited.

I played also “The Girl From Ipanema”, “Satin Doll”, “Meditation”, “Call Me”,“There Will Never Be Another You” and even the Japanese jazz song “Memorandum”.

At 9:00 pm, I stopped playing and gave them my card (Xeroxed only at that time). I said to them, “I’ll be playing 2 more hours at Breeze Bar using a keyboard.”

They said that they will proceed to Breeze Bar to listen some more to my music. Halfway to my playing at Breeze Bar, one of those 3 ladies come to me and gave me a CD (a new one which is still in its original package).

That lady also gave me her card. That’s the time when I realized that she’s a Japanese jazz singer and the CD that she gave me was her own recording of jazz songs including “Wave”.

That’s why they are excited when they heard me playing it (instrumental). She just come to say goodbye as there’s no more time for them all to go to Breeze Bar.

After finishing the song that I’m playing when she comes, I take a good look at the card and the CD. Her name is Nao Yasuda and in her beautifully designed card, it only shows her hand wearing a ring in black background and her name Nao Yasuda is written like a signature. At the back, her name in Japanese (Katakana) is written and the words under it are: jazz.vol1nao@docomo.ne.jp 090-9038-5053. In her recording of the album“I’m A Fool To Want You”, the song “Wave” is in there.

The songs in the CD are (The title, composer and length of the song) 01. Cherokee (Ray Noble) 4:05 02. I’m A Fool To Want You (Frank Sinatra/ Jack Wolf/ Joel S. Herron) 6:15 03. Wave (Antonio Carlos Jobim) 4:19 04. What Is This Thing Called Love (Cole Porter) 2:16 05. All Or Nothing At All (Jack Lawrence/ Arthur Altman) 4:15
06. Love For Sale (Cole Porter) 3:26 07. Someone To Watch Over Me (Ira Gershwin/ George Gershwin) 5:36
08. Just Squeeze Me (Lee Gaines/Duke Ellington) 3:34 09. The Island (Alan & Marilyn Bergman/Ivan Lins) 2:59
10. Summertime (Du Bose Heyward/George Gershwin) 3:33


Also featured in the album is the Bison Katayama Trio composed of Greg Mackenzie/piano, Tadashi Ogawa/bass and Bison Katayama/drums.

Recorded at MUSIC STUDIO JAZZ IN. TOKYO MUSASHISAKAI (2007.9.23and24)

Produced by BISON TAKAYAMA

Recording Engineer KOUJI YOSHINO

Art& Design YASUKO KATAYAMA

Notes MORIYASU SIRATSU

Special Thanks HIROYUKI KATO

Source:
 Music And Me by Roberto Hernandez

Tia Belau Newspaper

Pages 8 & 10

Volume 21

Issue 80

November 08, 2012