An elegant package inside and out, brimming with atmosphere. The outer package is a slim booklet, containing photography, a poem, and an essay. The music itself is a modern take on classic jazz songs with Japanese words and flavor sprinkled throughout, featuring excellent arrangements by pianist Koichi Sato.

Emiko’s voice is front-and-center and spans the gamut from quick instrumentesque aerobics to passionate crooning. Vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, and an innovative stand-up drum set constitute the core of the group, and several other instrumentalists contribute to the album, with material ranging from dreamy and moody to light and shimmering.

Carta by Emiko Voice

• Emiko Voice - vocal
• Koichi Sato - piano, Rhodes
• Akemi Ohta - flute
• Momoko Aida - violin
• Akira Tanidono - trumpet
• Toru Nishijima - bass
• Keita Okada - drums, percussion

Released in 2017 on Zipangu Label as ZIP-0058.

Japanese names: エミコヴォイス Emiko Voice 佐藤浩一 Sato Koichi 太田朱美 Ohta Akemi 会田桃子 Aida Momoko 谷殿明良 Tanidono Akira 西嶋徹 Nishijima Toru 岡田ケイタ Okada Keita

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album:

• Track #2 “Sanosa” was featured on The Rough Guide to Avant-Garde Japan 2021:

• Excerpt from track #1: “The Days Of Wine And Roses”

Jazz of Japan #5 • Jan 30, 2018 • Brian McCrory