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The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley presents alto saxophonist Sadao Watanabe for one night, touring in support of his latest release Into Tomorrow. Band members are Sadao Watanabe (saxophone/flute), Danny Grissett (piano), Ben Williams (bass), Johnathan Blake (drums). Set time on Monday is 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:00pm.

Japanese saxophonist and flautist Sadao Watanabe is a true jazz icon. At age 76, his professional career is in its 58th year, and his latest release Into Tomorrow (9/2/2009) is his 70th album as a leader. The cheerful, jowly alto saxophonist is a fixture of the Japanese jazz scene and has been known to discover and support young musicians throughout his illustrious career. For his latest project, Watanabe chose a superbly talented trio -- pianist Gerald Clayton (son of bassist John Clayton), bassist Ben Williams and drummer Jonathan Blake. They may be removed from the leader by two generations, but by listening to this joyous CD one can sense clearly that they speak the same musical language. As is often the case with his leader albums, the program consists solely of Watanabe’s own compositions. Apparently, they had just one day of rehearsal, where Watanabe explained the forms of his compositions. The following day, according to Watanabe’s notes, they nailed all tracks with just one take.

Sadao Watanabe cut his teeth with Toshiko Akiyoshi’s seminal bop group in the ‘50s and then went on to polish his resume at the Berklee College of Music in Boston before returning to Japan in the late ‘60s. Since then he has recorded steadily, releasing a spectrum of material ranging from straight-ahead bebop to Brazilian-influenced pop sessions. He has collaborated with musicians from all over the world, and also with friends such as Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin and Hank Jones. His more prestigious awards include the Order of the Rising Sun, the imperial medal of honor for his contribution to the arts, numerous cultural achievements from around the world, the Fumio Nanri award, and his cities first honor award. In addition to his musical career, Watanabe has also published six photography books in Japan.

For more information please visit

www.sadao.com