Personnel on "One After Another" CD:
Mamiko Watanabe - piano,
Walter Smith - tenor sax,
Massimo Biolcati - bass,
Francisco Mela - drums.
Personnel on "ORIGIN/JEWEL" CD:
"ORIGIN" (Funk/Latin)
Mamiko Watanabe - piano,
Ruben Austin - electric bass,
Maurice Brown - trumpet,
Karel Ruzicka, Jr. - tenor sax,
Harvey Wirht - drums,
Roland Guerrero - percussion.
"JEWEL" (Acoustic piano trio)
Mamiko Watanabe - piano
Massimo Biolcati - bass,
Francisco Mela - drums
Influences
My influences and favorite artists - George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Michel Petrucciani, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Danilo Perez, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bobby McFerrin, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, J.S. Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Prokofiev...
Mamiko Watanabe was born in Fukuoka, Japan and began studying piano at the age of 4 at the Yamaha Music School. In 1999 Mamiko received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music where she studied jazz piano, improvisation and composition. While at the Berklee College of Music she received several awards for Jazz Piano and Composition. In both 2002 and 2003 Mamiko Watanabe was a semi-finalist at the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in Montreux, Switzerland. Ms. Watanabe has toured Germany, Italy and Japan and performed with several jazz greats such as Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby McFerrin, Tiger Okoshi and Phil Wilson.
Ms. Watanabe has recently moved to New York and has performed at many venues such as The Kitano NY, the Blue Note, Cleopatra's Needle, Triad NYC, Smith Jazz Bar, The Europa Club, The Lenox Lounge, St. Nick's Pub, Zinc Bar,Jazzmobile, 55 Bar,Fat Cat,The knitting Factory and S.O.B.'s. Mamiko has performed in several Jazz Festivals in the United States, Europe and Japan. Ms. Watanabe's playing has been described as mature and creative with a good sense of dynamics. Mamiko Watanabe recorded her first CD, "One After Another" as a leader in 2005.
' PARTY SUMMER MUSIC ! ' .......IT'S JUST FUN ...FREE MP3 ! : HI MAMIKO, PASSED BY ERIC'S SPOT LASTNIGHT .WHERE ARE YOU ON THE 3rd? IT'S FINALLY HERE ..............' SHA VON DON ' ! SOME REALLY GREAT FUN MUSIC JUST IN TIME FOR THE SUMMER !
*** YES THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT......... & I LOVE IT ! REALLY.......& SO WILL YOU !
Hello , Thank you for your friendship and support, it's greatly appreciated! Your invited to come by and sign our new G.R.I.T.S. World Guest Book, it would be too cool to have you sign in! gigs. It is a rectangle under our calendar of events on the upper righthand side , it may take a few seconds of your time, and a second for our page to 'fresh', but it'll pop up and we'll appreciate it!. Upload a picture and say 'Hi!' Please come through anytime. Have a plum pleasing, fantastic day! p.s. Please subscribe to our video's at www. youtube. com/bluewendybear to get alerted when our new video's post! -The Sledge G.R.I.T.S. Band Keiko and Kariel, Mimi and Bo-pah Sledge!
Hi Mamiko, Great meeting you and seeing you 'LIVE'! Keep swingin' girl ! It's finally here.......my ' FREINDS with VOICES ' CD ! This Cd contains some of my best work and features some of the most talanted I have ever collaborated with Hope you enjoy, Thank you again for your constant support , Von Thadden
So glad to see you last night! Now, I feel like you are my neighbor!!! Big thanks for beautiful birthday gift, which I LOVE (^^) See you soon, O.K.? Take care & love,
Mamiko! It's a good thing we ran into eachother at the 55, because it had been way too long! let's play together really soon, like maybe next week? Nice tracks as always! Ian