Akiko Yano releases live video of YMO cover from this summer's Blue Note Tokyo concert
A live video of Akiko Yano covering Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Rydeen" has been released on YouTube.
This footage was filmed during this summer's Blue Note Tokyo performance, "AKIKO YANO TRIO featuring WILL LEE & CHRIS PARKER." Yano performs in a trio with Will Lee (B) and Chris Parker (Dr), with whom she has collaborated for many years in Japan and New York.
The audio from the same concert was released today, December 4, as the live CD "AKIKO YANO TRIO featuring Will Lee & Chris Parker Live at Blue Note Tokyo 2025" and the digital album "AKIKO YANO TRIO featuring Will Lee & Chris Parker LIVE at Blue Note Tokyo 2025.09.04." This release also includes covers of Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Tong Poo" and Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Thousand Knives."
Akiko Yano Comment
Performing at Blue Note, one of the world's leading jazz clubs, is a pleasure that goes beyond just work. The Blue Note Tokyo experience! It has a different atmosphere and audience from the main club in New York, and respect for musicians is evident in many ways. My American musician friends, just like me, really look forward to, and are proud of, going to Tokyo to perform.
It's been a long time since I started playing with Will and Chris. Will and Chris are best friends and are wonderful musicians who have been active together in the New York scene since the '70s. From the first time we played, they have shown respect for my music, and that hasn't changed at all. When we perform, it's a process of building new music on top of our mutual respect, and the foundation hasn't changed at all. That's not something that can be replaced by money, nor is it something you can achieve just by doing it for a long time. I want to carry this trio as a treasure for life.
Source: Music Natalie
*This content has been translated from Japanese into English using machine translation. We apologize for any mistakes in the current version, and will update accordingly.