Saori started playing alto saxophone in a brass band at the age of nine. She was enthralled by the music and playing of Charlie Parker and got quite obsessed with jazz. At the age of 14, she was captivated by Billie Holiday's autobiography and so started her live activities by negotiating to appear at a jazz club. In September 2003, she made her sensational debut at the age of 16 and as the second Japanese artist to be signed to the prestigious Savoy jazz label. In the spring of 2007, she appeared in a commercial as a new Asian beauty of Kao "Asience". She recorded the original song "I & I" used in the commercial, and with her first best album at the age of 20 won the 22nd Japan Gold Disc Award and Jazz Album of the Year. Overall, she got a lot of attention beyond the boundaries of jazz. From that time on she earnestly worked on "Bebop", the origin of modern jazz, and at the same time performed live not only in Japan but also in New York. By enlarge, she made the world aware of the coming of a new generation of jazz. In this regard, this album is a testament of her talent/s as a bright new emerging star in the jazz world today!
Savoy Records, COCB-53685, 2007
Recorded 26th & 27th
September, 2007 at Clinton Recording Studio, New York
Saori Yano - Alto Saxophone
Doctor Lonnie Smith - Organ [Hammond] (#1-9)
Yuta Kaneko - Organ [Hammond] (#10)
Peter Bernstein - Guitar (#1-9)
Yoshihiko Hosono - Guitar (#10)
Lewis Nash - Drums (#1-9)
Nobuyuki Komatsu - Drums (#10)
Hibari Misora - Vocals (#10)
Tracks:
01. My Baby Shot Me Down
{Saori Yano} (8:18)
02. Split Kick {Horace
Silver} (6:43)
03. Close To You {Burt
Bacharach} (7:27)
04. She Rote {Charlie Parker}
(5:30)
05. Velvet Easter {Yumi Arai}
(6:36)
06. Boplicity {Cleo Henry}
(8:35)
07. Pardon Lucy {Saori Yano}
(7:46)
08. KC Blues {Charlie Parker}
(8:42)
09. Danny Boy {Irish Folk
Song} (5:31)
10. Take The "A"
Train {Billy Strayhorn} (3:49) *
Total Time: 69:03
* Special Tribute Track
