All About Jazz February 2005 | No. 34
Vocalist/composer Okada is a winner of Betty Carter's Jazz
Ahead and scholarship recipient of the BMI Jazz composer's
workshop.
TEACHERS: Sir Roland Hanna taught me with so much love, I've absorbed like a sponge arranging, composition, history, performance - everything that I needed to know was in Sir Roland Hanna. Now he lives within me and when I teach, I am giving that special something that he gave to me infinitely.
INFLUENCES: Japan, England, America. At age 13, I moved to England to study at Hogwarts. But instead of leaning how to cast a spell, I learned music - both classical piano and voice. At 16, jazz poured in to my ears at the British antique Jewel shop and that's when the magic started. Ever since that day, I was there everyday listening to Billie, Miles, Ella, Sarah and Charlie Parker. And at age 18, I moved to America to attend Berklee.
CURRENT PROJECTS: My songs and my
compositions. I just recorded with Roland Berber, my
fellow participant of 2001 Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead. He walked into the studio as I was recording a song called "Cherry Blossoms" in Washington. It was a beautiful reunion especially since the song was about hoping that we would meet again and play music together.
BY DAY: I teach, I dance, I yoga, I swim, I read, I eat, I pray...
I KNEW I WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN WHEN...
One snowy winter I moved to "Yamagata" from Tokyo to live with my grandmother who was a piano teacher. I was 5 and I played piano, organ, violin and I sang all day long into a cassette tape recorder. I still am, but I was just having a blast!
DREAM BAND: I love when musicians call me for gigs, sessions and recordings. I love using my voice as an instrument - singing a horn line gives me a kick. I love playing other people's music and I worship vibraphonist Stefon Harris' Unification Theory and I like to play with keyboardist Robert Glasper. He's positively crazy!
FOLLOW UP WITH:
Web: www.karinokada.com
E-mail: jazz@karinokada.com
Okada is at The Anyway Cafe Tuesdays and Ciao Stella
Thursdays. See regular engagements.
8 February 2005 | ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Translation from September 2000 issue of Swing Journal
KARIN OKADA CD RELEASE LIVE:
A young singer Karin Okada, Born in Japan, raised in England, studied at Berklee College of Music. Live at Body and Soul - Minami Aoyama was sold out. The audience was intoxicated by Karin's sultry voice. Outstanding performance.
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