WHEREAS, Akiyoshi, born December 12, 1929, in Manchuria,
returned to Japan following the end of World War II; and
WHEREAS, Akiyoshi began playing the piano at age six and
eventually started her first job as a musician in a dance-hall
band to satisfy her love of music; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by recordings of Teddy Wilson, Akiyoshi
immersed herself in the world of jazz music; and
WHEREAS, In 1952, Oscar Peterson discovered Akiyoshi while on
a Jazz at the Philharmonic tour in Japan and immediately
convinced his producer and manager Norman Granz to record her;
and
WHEREAS, Thanks to her discovery and album recording,
Akiyoshi was able to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music
in Boston and later move to New York in 1959 where she played in
notable venues such as Birdland, the Village Gate, the Five Spot
and the Half Note; and
WHEREAS, Despite attempts to showcase her talents as a
composer and arranger for large ensembles, it was not until
1972, when she moved to Los Angeles, that she was able to form
the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, an impressive 16-piece big
band featuring her husband, saxophonist and flutist Lew
Tabackin; and
WHEREAS, Akiyoshi, a critically-acclaimed artist, arranger
and composer, has become known for her unique incorporation of
traditional Japanese music with textural big band compositions;
and
WHEREAS, Akiyoshi has recorded 23 albums, received 14 Grammy
Award nominations and numerous international awards; and
WHEREAS, In 2007, Akiyoshi was awarded the title of National
Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, joining other honorees such
20200SR0322PN1616 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30