Kimiko Kasai -

Kimiko Kasai — 笠井紀美子 (born Dec. 10, 1945) — is a Japanese jazz vocalist who released a clutch of live and collaborative recordings on assorted labels during the early 1970s, culminating with her solo-studio debut Umbrella, released in 1972 on Liberty. Between 1973 and 1986, she released fourteen albums on CBS/Sony.

Background

Kimiko Kasai was born in Kyoto, Japan, where she first became interested in jazz after hearing “All About Ronnie” by American vocalist Chris Connor. At 16, she hit the Tokyo nightclub scene. In 1967, she made her recording debut with The Modern Playing Mate, a jazz quintet signed to Union Records.

In 1970, Kasai sang four numbers with the Ono Yuji Trio on the multi-artist double-album Trio By Trio + 1, released on Victor World. That same year, she cut her first album, Just Friends, released on London Records as part of their New Emotional Work Series. It was recorded at a concert date with the Yuji Ohno Trio. In 1971, she got featured status on the albums One for Lady by Mal Waldron (Victor World) and Yellow Carcass In the Blue by Kosuke Mine Quartet (Three Blind Mice).

One for Lady

In 1971, the Victor World Group released One for Lady, billed to Kimiko Kasai and Mal Waldron and rereleased in 1978 on JVC.

The album contains eight Billie Holiday-associated songs, arranged by pianist Waldron in a quaret setting with Kasai, bassist Yoshio Suzuki, and drummer Hiroshi Murakami.

A1. “Don’t Explain” (4:41) – Arthur Herzog Jr. / Billie Holiday
A2. “My Man” (4:13) – Jacques Charles / Channing Pollock / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain
A3. “Some Other Day” (3:17) – Waldron
A4. “Willow Weep for Me” (4:48) – Ann Ronell

B1. “Yesterdays” (4:17) – Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
B2. “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)” (5:28) – Roger Ramirez / Jimmy Davis / James Sherman
B3. “You’re My Thrill” (4:44) – Jay Gorney / Sidney Clare
B4. “Left Alone” (5:26) – Holiday / Waldron

Kasai recorded One for Lady on February 13, 1971, at Victor Studio in Tokyo with producer-recording director Tetsuya Shimoda and recording engineer Hideo Takada. Keijiro Kubota designed the album package with photography by Takashi Arihara.

Umbrella

Kimiko Kasai released her debut solo album, Umbrella, in March 1972 on Express.

Umbrella contains ten Japanese-language pieces from the Hiroshi Kamayatsu production circle, with Kamayatsu music on six tracks and additional compositions by Yuji Ohno, Ken Narita, Kunihiko Murai, and Katsuo Ohno. Kasai sings over a rock-band lineup with organ, electric piano, electric bass, guitar, and two drummers; “You Talk Too Much” extends the second side with a nine-minute closing form.

“Blues for George” lurches through an uptempo blues pattern with a blunt verse cadence. “Closed In” presses Kasai’s low, close-set line against Hammond sustain. “Drifting Clouds” simmers through a charged intro, drawled phrasing, and a dampened late-night tone. “Barren” closes on chorus responses and a repeated-syllable fadeout. “End of Love” clips its phrases to a short, hard-edged roll.

“It’s All in One” runs on a direct title-call and unvarnished ensemble drive. “It’s Only an Hour” grinds through a sticky rhythm, clipped guitar figures, and a mid-song pivot into triple meter. “You Talk Too Much” sprawls through a viscous low-end pattern, needling Hammond lines, and a drawn-out call-and-answer close.

A1. “Over the Waves With Love” (3:03) – Michio Yamagami / Hiroshi Kamayatsu
A2. “Blues for George” (3:02) – Kazue Oohashi / Kamayatsu
A3. “Closed In” (4:10) – Oohashi / Kamayatsu
A4. “Drifting Clouds” (3:39) – Yamagami / Yuji Ohno
A5. “Barren” (3:17) – Oohashi / Kamayatsu
A6. “End of Love” (2:50) – Kamayatsu

B1. “It’s All in One” (3:54) – Ken Narita
B2. “Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall” (4:00) – Oohashi / Kunihiko Murai
B3. “It’s Only an Hour” (4:39) – Kazumi Yasui / Katsuo Ohno
B4. “You Talk Too Much” (9:55) – Fumiko Mouri / Kamayatsu / Kimiko Kasai

Kamayatsu produced Umbrella with recording engineer Hideo Takahashi. Kasai sings with drummers Hiro Tsunoda and Yujin Harada, bassist Haruomi Hosono, credited as Mondo Uno, guitarist Shigeru Suzuki, credited as Hoshiimo Kozou, keyboardist Katsuo Ohno, and keyboardist Kunihiko Murai. Hideo Mizutani designed the cover with photography by Yoshinobu Jumonji.

In Person

In late 1973, CBS/Sony issued the Kimiko Kasai live album In Person, a document of her September 24 recital at Yubin Chokin Hall, Tokyo, with arranger/conductor by Oliver Nelson.

Kasai sings American standards, Jobim material, a Mal Waldron ballad, and Nelson’s closing band theme with Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats plus Chambre Symphoniette.

“Goody Goody” frames the recital with a clipped theme and bright big-band punctuation. “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” strides through Oliver Nelson’s arranged brass and string setting. “It Never Entered My Mind” lowers the register around Kasai’s measured line and softened cadence.

“Shiny Stockings” brightens through a brisk arrangement, packed brass figures, and Nelson’s alto-saxophone break in the chorus. “I’m Walkin’” gives Nelson another solo space against a hard-swinging ensemble base. “Some Other Day” slows the room around a more inward delivery. “It’s Alright With Me” accelerates into the set’s fastest ensemble motion. “3-2-1-0” exits as a compact band theme.

A1. “Goody Goody (Theme)” (1:25) – Johnny Mercer / Matty Malneck
A2. “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” (4:34) – Cole Porter
A3. “It Never Entered My Mind” (4:56) – Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
A4. “Close Your Eyes” (3:02) – Bernice Petkere
A5. “How Insensitive” (3:49) – Antonio Carlos Jobim / Norman Gimbel
A6. “Go Away Little Boy” (4:47) – Carole King / Gerry Goffin
A7. “Shiny Stockings” (2:50) – Frank Foster

B1. “I’m Walkin’” (4:31) – Dave Bartholomew / Antoine Domino
B2. “Some Other Day” (4:50) – Mal Waldron
B3. “It’s Alright With Me” (3:16) – Porter
B4. “Goody Goody (Theme)” (1:40) – Mercer / Malneck
B5. “Guess Who I Saw Today” (3:49) – Elisse Boyd / Murray Grand
B6. “3-2-1-0 (Band’s Theme)” (1:07) – Oliver Nelson

Kasai recorded the recital with producer Yukio Morisaki, recital producer Toshinari Koinuma, engineer Tomoo Suzuki, and assistant engineer Satoru Tsuji. The rhythm section includes pianist Sadayasu Fujii, bassist Hiroshi Takeuchi, drummer Yoshio Nakamura, guitarist Kazuhiko Kawakami, and percussionist Atsushi Haryu.

Teruhisa Tajima designed the album cover with photography by Akimichi Yuge (front) and inner pics by Akira Aimi and Katsuhiko Sugano.

Kimiko Is Here

Kimiko Kasai released her second live album, Kimiko Is Here, in 1975 on CBS/Sony.

The album documents her December 22, 1974 performance at Pit Inn in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Billy Higgins. The quartet setting places Kasai inside a concise live program built from standards, soul-jazz repertory, “Moondance,” and Norman Mapp’s closing “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul.”

“Dat Dere” bounces through a childlike text pattern and a compact trio response. “No Tears (In the End)” loosens the original song into a more swinging treatment, with Kasai’s line set forward in the small-room mix. “Meaning of the Blues” settles into a husky, unhurried reading with a late cadence.

“Sad Song” works a blues-marked refrain, member introductions, and a shouted “check it out” interjection. “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” bends its standard-song line around the trio’s light time. “Moondance” snaps into a brisker small-group contour. “‘Round Midnight” darkens the set with a clipped title cadence. “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul” closes on a direct sung assertion and short final lift.

A1. “Dat Dere” (3:28) – Bobby Timmons / Oscar Brown Jr.
A2. “I Am the Girl” (3:55) – James Shelton
A3. “No Tears (In the End)” (4:25) – Ralph MacDonald / William Salter
A4. “Meaning of the Blues” (5:45) – Leah Worth / Bobby Troup
A5. “It Could Happen to Me” (2:27) – Johnny Burke / Jimmy Van Heusen

B1. “Sad Song” (6:13) – Will Tilghman
B2. “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” (4:37) – Hart / Rodgers
B3. “Moondance” (4:35) – Van Morrison
B4. “‘Round Midnight” (3:04) – Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams / Bernie Hanighen
B5. “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul” (3:08) – Norman Mapp

Kasai recorded Kimiko Is Here at Pit Inn with producer Keiichi Nakamura, engineer Tomoo Suzuki, and assistant engineer Mitsuru Kasai. Akio Nimbari designed the package, and Akira Aimi photographed the sleeve.

This Is My Love

Kimiko Kasai released her second solo studio album, This Is My Love, in 1975 on CBS/Sony.

Kasai sings a New York program of standards, pop repertory, and two pieces co-written by Bobby Scott, who arranged and conducted the set, performed with bassist Bob Cranshaw, drummers Allan Schwartzberg and Bill Lavorgna; saxophonists Lee Konitz, Stan Getz, and Al Cohn; and guitarists Joe Beck, Cornell Dupree, and Jerry Friedman.

“Happy Together” hushes its opening line, then rises through successive arrangement turns. “The Good Life” slows around Kasai’s soft phrasing and an electric-piano glow. “Love for Sale” softens the title through a close-set, sweet-toned delivery. “Autumn Leaves” lingers at slow tempo, with a second voice crossing Kasai’s line. “The Lamp Is Low” breaks into the set’s most elastic stride. “And Roses and Roses” brightens the close with an upbeat cadence.

A1. “Use Me” (6:37) – Bill Withers
A2. “Come Rain or Come Shine” (9:04) – Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
A3. “Happy Together” (7:57) – Garry Bonner / Alan Gordon
A4. “The Good Life” (5:48) – Sacha Distel

B1. “Love for Sale” (6:59) – Cole Porter
B2. “Autumn Leaves” (5:10) – Johnny Mercer / Joseph Kosma
B3. “The Lamp Is Low” (4:06) – Bert Shefter / Maurice Ravel / Mitchell Parish / Peter DeRose
B4. “And Roses and Roses” (5:52) – Dorival Caymmi / Ray Gilbert
B5. “I Wish I Could Walk Away” (3:36) – Bobby Scott / Mort Goode
B6. “Little Things” (3:20) – Bob Kessler / Bobby Scott

Kasai recorded This Is My Love on June 24, 1975, at Electric Lady Studios and on July 18, 1975, at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. Teo Macero served as executive producer, and Tadayuki Kawahito photographed the package.

We Can Fall in Love

Kimiko Kasai released her third solo studio album, We Can Fall in Love, in 1976 on CBS/Sony.

Kasai recorded the album in Chicago with producer Teo Macero and arranger Richard Evans. She sings an eight-song program anchored by the Kasai title piece, Leon Russell’s “This Masquerade,” the Spinners-associated “Love Don’t Love Nobody,” Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” and Evans material on the second side.

“We Can Fall in Love” glides through a polished title-call and rounded ensemble sheen. “This Masquerade” chops its verse with reggae-marked guitar figures. “God Bless the Child” settles into a slow-lit arrangement and a shadowed line. “Being in Love” swings through a brighter Richard Evans setting. “Along the Nile” drifts through a wide intro and soft internal sway. “Love Don’t Love Nobody” leans on low-lit chord changes and a softened refrain.

A1. “We Can Fall in Love” (6:44) – Kimiko Kasai
A2. “In Common” (3:13)
A3. “Love Don’t Love Nobody” (4:30) – Charles Simmons / Joseph B. Jefferson
A4. “This Masquerade” (5:58) – Leon Russell

B1. “God Bless the Child” (4:14) – Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.
B2. “Being in Love” (4:30) – Richard Evans
B3. “Along the Nile” (5:13) – Richard Evans
B4. “Today, Tomorrow and More Than Yesterday” (4:03)

Teo Macero produced We Can Fall in Love, and Richard Evans arranged the album. Kishin Shinoyama photographed the cover.

Tokyo Special

Kimiko Kasai released her fourth solo studio album, Tokyo Special, on September 21, 1977, on CBS/Sony.

Kasai and Masatoshi Sakai produced the album, with direction by Shinichi Hashimoto and arrangements by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki. Kazumi Yasui wrote lyrics to music by Tatsuro Yamashita, Isao Suzuki, Kyohei Tsutsumi, Yutaka Yokokura, Shiro Mori, Hiroshi Suzuki, and Akiko Yano.

“Vibration (Love Celebration)” eases into an unhurried start, with Kasai’s phrase set inside rounded arrangement sheen. “Yarikake no Jinsei” settles into a slow ballad contour and a broad held line. “Tokyo Special” tightens around a featured trumpet break and clipped title motion. “Komorebi (Sequoia Forest)” shimmers through misted harmonies, chimes, and woodblock bird-calls. “Mattete (Laid Back Mad or Mellow)” rolls out on a piano-led final jam.

A1. “Vibration (Love Celebration)” (4:15) – Kazumi Yasui / Tatsuro Yamashita
A2. “Yarikake no Jinsei” (6:12) – Yasui / Isao Suzuki
A3. “Natsu no Hajime no Image” (4:44) – Yasui / Kyohei Tsutsumi
A4. “Very Special Moment” (3:00) – Yasui / Yutaka Yokokura
A5. “Hito Ha Sorezore (Just Another Love Song)” (4:36) – Yasui / Yokokura

B1. “Tokyo Special (Manhattan Special)” (3:55) – Yasui / Shiro Mori
B2. “Komorebi (Sequoia Forest)” (5:31) – Yasui / Mori
B3. “Take Me” (4:20) – Yasui / Hiroshi Suzuki
B4. “Mattete (Laid Back Mad or Mellow)” (5:22) – Yasui / Akiko Yano

Kasai recorded Tokyo Special between July 14 and August 3, 1977. The sessions include keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki, guitarist Tsunehide Matsuki, bassist Akira Okazawa, drummer Yasushi Ichihara, percussionist Tadaomi Anai, saxophonists Mabumi Yamaguchi and Takeru Muraoka, trumpeter Susumu Kazuhara, trumpeter-flugelhornist Koji Hatori, trombonist Eiji Arai, harpist Keiko Fukui, Ohno Group strings, and backing singers Kayoko Ishu, Kayoko Wada, and Michiko Ogata.

Yutaka Matsumoto engineered Tokyo Special with assistant Ryuichi Suzuki. Shuichi Yoshida designed the package with cover photography by Kishin Shinoyama. CBS/Sony issued “Vibration (Love Celebration)” as a September 6, 1977 single (b/w “Yarikake no Jinsei”).

Round and Round

Kimiko Kasai released her fifth solo studio album, Round and Round, in 1978 on CBS/Sony.

The album contains eight English-language pieces recorded in San Francisco, with Bernard Ighner songs, two Kasai originals, and chestnuts by Hoagy Carmichael (“Stardust”), Herbie Hancock (“Chameleon”), and Joe Sample (“Chain Reaction”).

The album features a large U.S. studio ensemble with keyboardist Herbie Hancock, pianist Cedar Walton, saxophonist Bennie Maupin, bassist Paul Jackson, guitarist Greg Poree, drummer Kenny Elliot, and percussionist Bill Summers.

“And It All Goes Round and Round” swirls around a repeated title chant and ornate dance arrangement. “Chameleon” recasts the Hancock theme with Kasai’s sung line locked into a revised arrangement and chorus responses. “Chain Reaction” reshapes the source song through a rebuilt chart and chorus-backed finish. “Everything Must Change” settles the set into a slower closing cadence.

A1. “And It All Goes Round and Round” (4:57) – Bernard Ighner
A2. “Don’t Forget You Are” (3:23) – Ighner
A3. “Nothin’ but You” (3:43) – Kimiko Kasai
A4. “Stardust” (5:24) – Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish

B1. “Chameleon” (7:03) – Herbie Hancock / Paul Jackson / Harvey Mason / Bennie Maupin
B2. “The Rest of My Life” (3:28) – Kasai
B3. “Chain Reaction” (5:07) – Joe Sample
B4. “Everything Must Change” (4:48) – Ighner

Dale O. Warren produced, arranged, and conducted Round and Round. Sessions took place in May and June 1978 at the Automatt in San Francisco with recording engineers Fred Catero and Michael Fusaro, and Catero remixed the album. Nancy Donald created the artwork, and Raul Vega photographed the cover.

CBS/Sony lifted “Everything Must Change” as a 1978 single (b/w “Chain Reaction”).

Butterfly

In 1979, CBS/Sony released Butterfly, a collaborative effort by Kimiko Kasai and Herbie Hancock. The album contains eight English-language pieces, with sung versions of Hancock repertory and the Stevie Wonder classic “As.”

Kasai performs with Hancock, keyboardist Webster Lewis, guitarist Ray Obiedo, bassist Paul Jackson, drummer Alphonse Mouzon, percussionist Bill Summers, saxophonist Bennie Maupin, and backing singers Mari Kaneko and Yuka Kamebuchi.

“I Thought It Was You” glides through a lacquered refrain with Hancock’s vocoder shade behind Kasai’s line. “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” hushes the pace into a low-lit address and softened cadence. “Maiden Voyage” suspends the song over ballad contour and broad harmonic shimmer. “Harvest Time” settles into another slow, open reading. “Sunlight” brightens the set with a lighter dance cadence. “Butterfly” floats on a silken title line. “As” closes with Wonder’s extended love refrain and polished ensemble finish.

A1. “I Thought It Was You” (7:10) – Herbie Hancock / Melvin Ragin / Jeffrey Cohen
A2. “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” (5:11) – Hancock
A3. “Head in the Clouds” (3:40) – Diana Graselli / M. Malanet
A4. “Maiden Voyage” (7:25) – Hancock / Jean Hancock

B1. “Harvest Time” (4:55) – Hancock / Jean Hancock
B2. “Sunlight” (6:15) – Hancock
B3. “Butterfly” (6:13) – Hancock / Bennie Maupin / Jean Hancock
B4. “As” (6:16) – Stevie Wonder

Kasai recorded Butterfly in October 1979 at CBS/Sony Roppongi Studio in Tokyo. Hancock produced the album, and Fred Catero and David Rubinson mixed the recordings with recording engineers Bryan Bell, Catero, and Tomoo Suzuki. Hirohiko Yamanaka and Mikio Takamatsu assisted the sessions.

Kimiko

Kimiko Kasai released her sixth solo studio album, Kimiko, on April 21, 1982, through CBS/Sony.

Kasai sings an eight-song English-language program by assorted songwriters, backed by an LA studio pool with bassist Nathan Watts, guitarist Michael Sembello, keyboardist Randy Waldman, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., and bassist Jimmy Johnson.

“The Right Place” brightens through an uptempo lead line and polished studio finish. “Steppin’ Outside Tonight” tilts its rhythm toward offbeat accents. “I’m So Much in Love” lifts Kasai into a high-register, softened love-song line. “I Felt You Glancin’” starts from choral scat and turns into brisk dance motion. “Love Is All We Need” softens around close-set voice work and rounded chorus lines. “I Wish That Love Would Last” lingers as a soft ballad, then opens space for a David Boruff saxophone solo.

A1. “The Right Place” (4:43) – Jay Graydon / Marc Jordan / Richard Page
A2. “Looking for Love” (4:39) – Roy Carter
A3. “Steppin’ Outside Tonight” (4:37) – Doug Rudolph / Richard Rudolph
A4. “I’m So Much in Love” (4:11) – Richard Rudolph / Stevie Wonder

B1. “I Felt You Glancin’” (3:57) – Nathan Watts / Shirley Brewer / Vincent Bonham
B2. “Love Is All We Need” (5:03) – Gene Dozier / Richard Rudolph
B3. “I Wish That Love Would Last” (3:58) – Allee Willis / David Lasley
B4. “Over You” (4:11) – David Wolinski

Richard Rudolph produced Kimiko. Kasai recorded the album in January 1982 at Eldorado Recording Studios in Hollywood, Lighthouse Studios in Burbank, and Location Recording Service in Burbank; Scott Singer engineered and mixed the recordings at the Village Recorder in Santa Monica the following month. Eiji Taniguchi mastered the album at CBS/Sony Shinanomachi Studio in Tokyo. John Kosh directed the art package, and Aaron Rapoport photographed the sleeve.

Love Talk

Kimiko Kasai released her seventh studio album, Love Talk, in 1984 through CBS/Sony in Japan.

Kasai sings eight English-language pieces, including “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and songs by Tom Snow and Michael Sembello.

The core credits name bassist Nathan East, percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, keyboardist-reedist Larry Williams, and backing singer Denise Routt. Track-specific players add drummers John Robinson and Harvey Mason plus keyboardist Randy Waldman. Guitarists David Williams, Paul Jackson Jr., Kevin Clark, and Lee Ritenour appear across separate titles.

“No Way, Not Me” taps out a polished dance pulse and places Kasai’s line inside a rounded studio sheen. “Killing Me Softly With His Song” brightens the source ballad into a midtempo arrangement with a fuller chorus finish. “Love Talk” leans on a close-set title phrase and a softened lead line. “Nailed in the Pocket” closes the set on a clipped backbeat and compact chorus motion.

A1. “No Way, Not Me” (4:13) – Darryl Phinnessee
A2. “Whisper Love” (5:08) – Blue Johnson / Randy Waldman
A3. “The Things That We Do When We’re Lonely” (4:20) – Dean Pitchford / Tom Snow
A4. “Mmm Mmm Good” (5:14) – Alan Roy Scott / Lyndie White

B1. “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (5:07) – Charles Fox / Norman Gimbel
B2. “Make Up, Break Up” (3:49) – Dennis Matkosky / Frank Musker / Michael Sembello
B3. “Love Talk” (4:07) – LeRoy Bell / Casey James
B4. “Nailed in the Pocket” (5:21) – Denise Routt

Richard Rudolph produced Love Talk. Kasai recorded the album at Golden Sound Studios, Producers Recording Service, and Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, with Kevin Clark as recording engineer. Elliot Scheiner remixed seven tracks at Sound Labs in Hollywood; Jeremy Smith remixed “The Things That We Do When We’re Lonely.” Makoto Suzuki designed the package with photography by Minsei Tominaga.

New Pastel

Kimiko Kasai released her eighth studio album, New Pastel, on October 21, 1984, through CBS/Sony.

The album contains ten English-language pieces, including themes by Herbie Hancock (“Chameleon”), Bacharach–David (“Alfie”), the Hi-Gloss number “You’ll Never Know,” and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg tune “I Will Wait for You.”

Kasai sings with a mixed Japanese and U.S. studio group that includes guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., trumpeter Terumasa Hino, guitarist Takayuki Hijikata, keyboardist Masanori Sasaji, reedist Jake H. Concepcion, trumpeter Hitoshi Yokoyama, and trumpeter Susumu Kazuhara.

“Give Me Your Heart Tonight” darts through a glossy dance beat and direct refrain. “You Take My Breath Away” clips its motion to a programmed beat and bright studio finish. “You’ll Never Know” glows through the Hi-Gloss source song with a softer late-side sheen. “So in Love” sways at midtempo with a rounded chorus line. “Alfie” opens into a large-ensemble standard reading, and “I Will Wait for You” resolves the set with a film-theme cadence.

A1. “Give Me Your Heart Tonight” (4:37)
A2. “Chameleon” (3:50)
A3. “Alfie” (4:50)
A4. “You Take My Breath Away” (3:42)
A5. “It’s Not the First Time” (4:22)

B1. “You’ll Never Know” (5:40)
B2. “So in Love” (3:28)
B3. “Lullaby of L.A.” (4:46)
B4. “Louisiana Sunday Afternoon” (4:38)
B5. “I Will Wait for You” (3:50)

CBS/Sony issued “You Take My Breath Away” as a 1984 twelve-inch single (b/w “Give Me Your Heart Tonight”). The single pairs Kasai with backing singers Eve, keyboardist Masanori Sasaji, guitarist Takayuki Hijikata, and cornetist Terumasa Hino.

My One and Only Love

Kimiko Kasai released her ninth studio album, My One and Only Love, in 1986 on CBS/Sony.

The album contains nine American songbook and jazz-standard titles, performed by Kasai with pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Al Foster, guitarist Mike Stern, and tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker.

“My One and Only Love” lingers over small-group support and a clear, close-set Kasai line. “Trav’lin’ Light” loosens the set with a shorter, lighter reading. “‘S Wonderful” strides through a compact standard-song contour. “All the Way” softens the pace around a more sustained phrase shape. “Lover Come Back to Me” answers the trio with tenor-saxophone color, while “My Romance” places Mike Stern’s guitar inside the alternating quartet format. “‘Round Midnight” darkens the closing stretch around the slowest cadence.

A1. “My One and Only Love” (4:57) – Guy Wood / Robert Mellin
A2. “Trav’lin’ Light” (2:57) – Trummy Young / Jimmy Mundy / Johnny Mercer
A3. “‘S Wonderful” (2:41) – George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
A4. “All the Way” (5:00) – Sammy Cahn / Jimmy Van Heusen
A5. “Stella by Starlight” (3:45) – Victor Young / Ned Washington

B1. “Lover Come Back to Me” (4:20) – Sigmund Romberg / Oscar Hammerstein II
B2. “My Romance” (4:40) – Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart
B3. “It Could Happen to You” (3:40) – Van Heusen / Johnny Burke
B4. “‘Round Midnight” (6:10) – Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams / Bernie Hanighen

Sessions occurred in October 1985 at Media Sound in New York with producer Yasohachi Itoh, recording and mixing engineer David Baker, and assistant engineer Bruce Smith. Ryoko Ishioka directed and designed the package, and Kazumi Kurigami photographed the cover.

Perigo a Noite

Kimiko Kasai released her tenth studio album, Perigo a Noite, in 1987 on Eastworld.

The album followed her move to Toshiba EMI and contains ten Japanese-language songs written by Kasai, performed with guitarist Masaki Matsubara, saxophonist Jake H. Concepcion, keyboardist Akira Nishimoto, percussionist Nobu Saito, and drummer Jun Aoyama.

“Dancing in the Past” pulses around a repeated English title phrase inside a Japanese-language text. “Nikui Aitsu” and “Memai” keep the album in a sleek electronic setting without breaking the nocturnal surface. “Futaribocchi no Heaven” shifts the text toward an English title tag. “Lover Boy” brightens the side with a more direct address. “Sensual” and “See You… Later” sustain the late-eighties finish, and “Wakare” closes the record on a farewell cadence.

A1. “Dancing in the Past” (4:19)
A2. “Nikui Aitsu” (3:42)
A3. “Memai” (3:59)
A4. “Futaribocchi no Heaven” (3:34)
A5. “Lover Boy” (4:42)

B1. “Benisu no Gogatsu” (4:08)
B2. “Sensual” (3:38)
B3. “See You… Later” (4:12)
B4. “Congratulations” (3:11)
B5. “Wakare” (3:33)

Kasai produced Perigo a Noite. Toshiba EMI and Who Ring issued the album under the RT28-5020 LP number and CT32-5020 CD number.

Discography: