Kimiko Kasai is one of the most famous Japanese female artists. Kimiko Kasai was a Japanese woman who was born in Kyoto on December 15, 1945. In her twenties, she discovered that jazz singing was her passion. She moved to Tokyo in 1964 to be a featured member of the Yuzuru Serai group. She was known as “Kemeco” throughout her career. This was her nickname. Also, in “The Modern Playing Mate”, a 1968 Yuzura Sera Trio recording featuring Kimiko Kasai, her first recorded work, she was featured. She began her musical career in the 1970’s. In 1970, she was an independent artist and released her first album “Just Friends”. She collaborated with some of the most prominent musicians in jazz, including Gil Evans and Herbie Hancock, as she did with other budding artists. She has also collaborated with Stan Getz and Herbie Hancock as well as Oliver Nelson and Billy Higgins. She recorded one type of jazz music, but she also recorded a mixture of smooth jazz, jazz-fusion, pop, and West Coast AOR. Although she was a Japanese native, her songs were recorded in English. However, some of her albums were written in Japanese such as “Umbrella” and “Tokyo Special”. Many of her songs are being re-released today with the latest technology on CD’s and blu-spec discs. Kimiko Kasai is a well-known and successful jazz vocalist. She is considered to be one of Japan’s top vocalists and recording artists. She has been a successful local singer and recording artist, as well as internationally. She performed alongside Hank Jones and she also performed in Yugoslavia, Hungary, and other places. Kimiko married drummer HIroshi Murakami and later Richard Rudolph, a well-known composer. She recorded music for Columbia Records from 1971 to 1985, and her final song was recorded on Kitty Records in 1990. After a while she stopped singing and started designing jewelry in Los Angeles. From www.raggedymusic.com
