Sadao Watanabe (musician)

Sadao Watanabe (Japanese渡 辺 贞 夫, Watanabe Sadao, born February 1, 1933, Utsunomiya ) is a Japanese jazz saxophonist.

Watanabe learned clarinet in high school and later alto saxophone. In the early 1950s he went to Tokyo, where in 1953 he joined the band of Toshiko Akiyoshi. In 1961 he recorded his first album as a leader Sadao Watanabe. In 1962 he went to Boston, where he attended the Berklee College of Music and worked with musicians like Gary McFarland, Chico Hamilton and Gabor Szabo. From this period also dates his interest in Brazilian music.

In 1965 he returned to Japan, where he won great influence on the jazz scene. His album Jazz & Bossa sparked a bossa nova wave in Japan. With appearances in the late 1960s at the Newport Jazz Festival began his international career. 1972 was the first time ~ My Dear Life aired Sadao Watanabe, a radio program that was continued for nineteen years. In subsequent years, Watanabe took over sixty albums as a bandleader; He was excellent in both Japan and the U.S. for his services; inter alia, he received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music (1995).

Since 1995 he has held workshops for children and participated in charity concerts such as Kids for BANBINI in Italy. From 2001 on, he was Executive Producer of the Japanese exhibition of Expo 2005. 2005 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

Discography (selection)

• Sadao Watanabe & Charlie Mariano: Iberian Waltz ( Denon, 1967)
• Dedicated to Charlie Parker with Terumasa Hino, Masanaga Harada, Fumio Watanabe, Kazuo Yashiro, 1969
• Round Trip ( Universe, 1974) with Jack DeJohnette, Miroslav Vitouš, Chick Corea
• I'm Old Fashioned (Sony, 1976) with Ron Carter, Hank Jones
• Birds of Paradise ( JVC, 1977) with Ron Carter, Hank Jones, Tony Williams
• Autumn Blow ( JVC, 1977) with Lee Ritenour, Ernie Watts, Patrice Rushen, Anthony Jackson, Harvey Mason, Steve Forman
• Birds of Passage ( Elektra, 1977) with Ron Carter, George Duke, Hank Jones, Hubert Laws, Kazumi Watanabe, Tony Williams, Jimmy Haslip, Alex Acuña, Diana Acuna, Vinnie Colaiuta, Paulinho da Costa, Freddie Hubbard
• California Shower ( Flying Disk, 1978) with Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Chuck Rainey, Harvey Mason, Paulinho Da Costa, Oscar Brasher, George Bohanon, Ernie Watts
• Morning Iceland ( Flying Disk, 1979) with Dave Grusin, Jeff Mironov, Francisco Centeno, Steve Gadd, Rubens Bassini, Eric Gale
• How's Everything - Live at Budokan (1980 ) with Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Dave Grusin, Anthony Jackson, Ralph McDonald, Jeff Mironov, Richard Tee, The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra - Jon Faddis
• Nice Shot ( Flying Disk, 1980) Sadao Watanabe Greatest Hits with Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Dave Grusin, Harvey Mason, Chuck Rainey, Lee Ritenour, inter alia,
• Orange Express (1981 ) with Dave Grusin, George Benson, Bobby Broom, Marcus Miller, Budddy Williams
• Fill Up The Night (1983 ) with Ralph MacDonald, Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Paul Griffin
• Rendezvous (1984 ) with Steve Gadd, Marcus Miller, Richard Tee, Ralph MacDonald, Eric Gale, Anthony MacDonald, Barry Eastmond, William Eaton, Roberta Flack
• Parker's Mood ( 1985) with Seigen Ono, James Williams, Jeff Tain Watts, Charnett Moffett
• Fly Me tothe Moon (Victor, 1986)
• Go Straight Ahead 'n Make a Left ( 1997) with Bernard Wright, Charley Drayton, Mike Flythe
• Remembrance ( Verve, 1999) with Robin Eubanks, Billy Drummond, Jim Anderson, Cyrus Chestnut, Romero Lubambo, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton