Rie Taguchi: The Gift

Vocalist Rie Taguchi leads a swinging sextet on her first full-length album, The Gift.

Her sultry voice seems to crack smiles and reminisce on old times as she dips and sways through the music. Popular standards such as “I Wish You Love” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” convey her cheerful energy, hearkening back at times to a type of Las Vegas showroom jazz. Her bright charm describes a sparkling smile, perhaps even a tipsy grin as she gracefully sings the notes.

The album features delightful arrangements by Seiji Endo along with Taguchi’s pop-oriented originals. The music starts in full swing with a riveting “The Lady is a Tramp”, and finishes up the set with a warm “Close to You” followed by the vocalist quietly playing piano and singing her song “Voices”.

The Gift by Rie Taguchi

• Rie Taguchi - vocals, piano

• Seiji Endo - piano, arrangements

• Seiji Tada - alto sax, flute

• Noriko Satomi - violin

• Mitsukuni Tanabe - guitar

• Yusuke Nakaishi - bass

• Akira Yamada - drums

Released in 2016 on Rose Happy Music as RHM002.

Japanese names: Rie Taguchi 田口理恵 Seiji Endo 遠藤征志 Seiji Tada 多田誠司 Noriko Satomi 里見紀子 Mitsukuni Tanabe 田辺充邦 Yusuke Nakaishi 仲石裕介 Akira Yamada 山田玲

Audio and Video

• Television broadcast of Rie Taguchi singing in Tokyo

• Excerpt from "The Lady is a Tramp", the first track on this album: