is a Japanese

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer. She was born on the island of

Shōdoshima Shōdoshima or is an island located in the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea of Japan. The name means "Island of Azuki bean, Small Beans". There are two towns on the island: Tonoshō, Kagawa, Tonoshō and Shodoshima, Kagawa, Shōdoshima, composing the ...

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

, Japan. After graduating from

Musashino Art University or is a private university in Kodaira, Western Tokyo, founded in 1962 with roots going back to 1929. It is known as one of the leading art universities in Japan. History In October 1929, was founded. In December 1948, it became , and in ...

with a degree in

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

, she studied under Yasushi Sawada. In 1982, she made her debut with her first jazz album, "Birdland". In 1989, she released the album "フォロー・ミー(FOLLOW ME)" simultaneously in Japan and the United States. It ranked 16th in the

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

Contemporary Jazz charts. voted Kimiko Number 1 female vocalist in 1988–1996. In 2004, her cover of the song "River of Crystals" from her album "Follow Me" was featured in the

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), ...

-directed film '' Ghost in the Shell: Innocence''.

History

* 1982 Released first album "Birdland". * 1986 Joined

EPIC/Sony Records Epic Records Japan is a Japanese record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Its founder was Shigeo Maruyama. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978

. Won Japanese jazz vocal prize. * 1987 Released album "For Lovers Only". * 1988 "For Lovers Only", from CBS Columbia. * 1989 Released "Follow Me" ranks 16th in Radio & Records' contemporary jazz list. * 1990 Released album "A Natural Woman". * 1992 Wins ''Swing Journal'' grand prix jazz disk for Japanese vocalist. * 1993 Released album "Standards My Way". Won 1993 ''Swing Journal'' jazz disk grand prix for Japanese vocalist. * 1994 Performed live at the Japan Society Hall in New York City. Performance went on sale as "Evening with Kimiko Itoh" in CD, videotape and laser disc formats * 1996 Released album “Sophisticated Lady” * 1997 Performed at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

as a duo with

Makoto Ozone is a Japanese jazz pianist. Career He was born in Kobe, Japan. He began playing organ at two and by seven was an improviser. He appeared on Japanese television with his father from 1968 to 1970. At twelve he switched to piano after being impres ...

. Released "At the Montreux Jazz Festival" recorded live.Videoarts Music：検索結果
/ref> * 2000 Released album "Kimiko", produced by Makoto Ozone. Won 2000 ''Swing Journal'' jazz disk grand prix for Japanese vocalist.
/ref> Several of Kimiko Itoh's recordings are available from Videoarts Music.

Discography

Albums

* ''Birdland'' (1982) * ''Songs for You'' (1983) * ''The Way We Were'' (1983) * ''A Touch of Love'' (1986) * ''For Lovers Only'' (1986) * ''Follow Me'' (1988) * ''Jazzy Wonderland'' (1990) * ''A Natural Woman'' (1990) * ''The Best of Kimiko Itoh'' (1991) * ''Here I Am'' (1992) * ''Standards My Way'' (1993) * ''An Evening with Kimiko Itoh'' (1994) * ''Sophisticated Lady'' (1995) * ''At The Montreux Jazz Festival'' (1997) * ''Kimiko'' (2000) * ''Once You've Been in Love'' (2004) * ''Best of Best'' (2007) * ''Jazzdaga? Jazzdaja!'' (2007)

References

External links

Official website
Japanese women jazz singers 1946 births Living people Musicians from Kagawa Prefecture 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese singers {{Japan-musician-stub