Just recently released in January 2025, Enyana has ten tracks and runs at forty-two minutes of music. Nine of the songs are from Latin America, from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Cuba, all filtered through the gentle but meticulous lens of these two Japanese musicians. The love and seriousness for the music that the two accomplished musicians bring into focus here is clear through their genuine passion for the songs and the talent to pull it off. The solid rhythms and deep emotions created through just voice and piano increase the intimacy and the impressiveness of their feats as a duo, delivering strong feelings of drama through authenticity.

Adding Japan to the list of countries covered by the music, there is one original song by Emiko and Yanagihara. Throughout, the music grooves with the authentic rhythms and lyrics of the different countries’ rhythms and atmospheres. Lyrics are sung in mainly Portuguese with some Spanish, English, and a bit of Japanese.

Along with her lyrics-based vocals, Emiko’s voice talents include scat singing and percussion. On Enyana she and Yanagihara include two instrumental songs through voice and piano, and a bit of triangle (Emiko’s excellent sense of time and independence also coming through here) at one point for a subtle but effective extra layer of sound and rhythm. Yanagihara loves percussion as well, saying that if she weren’t a pianist she would have been a drummer, and their common bond on this point, together with their impeccable sense of time, is another connection for Enyana in their musical performance and outlook.

The overall feelings generated by the songs sway from cheery, light, fun, and danceable to bittersweet scenes and melancholic storytelling. That is to say, passion. Between the poles of this heartbreak and soul-reviving uptempo pep, Enyana also offers a sweet love song with their first original “Hidamari” and a fantastic “Poinciana”, that catchy classic jazz tune that is rearranged and brightened with colors of Enyana.

Liner Notes

(Translated from Emiko Voice and Yuka Yanagihara’s original Japanese liner notes.)

We’ve finally completed Enyana’s first album! This work is filled with the life of the South American rhythms and melodies that EMiKO VOiCE and Yuka Yanagihara love so dearly.

The two of us share a connection we have as graduates of the Berklee College of Music, and we first performed together in Kobe in November 2011.

Since then, focusing on the music of South America, we’ve been continuing to assemble the type of thrilling yet intimate performances that a duo can deliver.

This recording of this album included a rich variation of South American music, from the passion and pathos of the Argentine classics “The Swallow in the Mirror” and “Alfonsina and the Sea” to the vibrant rhythms of Brazil in the songs “Forró Brasil” and “Sai Dessa”.

We’re also happy to present our first original song as a duo for the first time on this album.

The stripped-down format of just voice and piano is given depth and breadth through these encounters with famous songs, resulting in an album that almost seems to invite the listener to the lands and the forest of South America.

We hope that this can be a release that can be enjoyed for a long time by lovers of South American music, as well as those who are just beginning to discover its charms for the first time.

1. Corrida de Jangada

Music and Lyrics: Jose Carlos Capinan, Edu Lobo

“Sailboat Race” is a song that depicts the traditional Brazilian boat races. Voice and piano portray the racer’s movements as the phrase “Vamos embora” piles up and expresses the spirit of a boat racing across the sea. I hope this dynamic energy comes through. (EMiKO)

2. Alfonsina y el Mar

Music: Ariel Ramírez Lyrics: Félix Luna

This is a song that was dedicated to Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni. It’s a piece that touches my heart deeply. Its heartbreaking but beautiful melody thoroughly expresses the sadness that Alfonsina carried, and her determination as she set out to the sea. (EMiKO)

3. Sai Dessa

Music and Lyrics: Nathan Marques, Ana Terra

At first, the song has a cheerful samba rhythm, but there is a hidden message criticizing Brazil’s military regime. It’s a considerable challenge to create a samba groove with only voice and piano, but I think we delivered a solid groove in our own way. I hope you enjoy the rhythm. (EMiKO)

4. Los Pájaros Perdidos

Music: Astor Piazzolla Lyrics: Mario Trejo

This song, Piazzolla’s “The Swallow and the Mirror”, is one that I’m truly happy to have come across. In particular, when I hear the piano play the jumba rhythm in the middle, I love it so much that, while singing, I am secretly thinking “Listen to the piano!” (laughs). The contrast between the dynamic development and the quieter ballad section gives this song a dramatic mood, one filled with bittersweet thoughts of lost love and time. (EMiKO)

5. Forró Brasil

Music: Hermeto Pascoal

This is a forró masterpiece by the genius musician Hermeto Pascoal of Brazil. The intertwining of my scat singing, triangle playing, and Yuka’s steady rhythm, creates a fun atmosphere. (EMiKO)

6. Hidamari / A Sunny Spot

Music: Yuka Yanagihara Lyrics: EMIKO VOICE

This is our first song written together. For just that reason alone, it’s precious.

We’ve talked about writing together for some time, but it never really took shape. Now that the plans for this album were moving ahead in a detailed way, Yanagihara took the lead in writing a song. We tried to write a song in the image of the Enyana group. Building on Enyana’s colorful worldview and catchy parts, we wrote a song that seems to have a gentle melody and chord progression that you may have heard before, and that seems to sing in your heart. I also really like EMiKO’s Japanese lyrics which are simple, straight to the heart, and soothing. The South American theme of our group also fits the ebb and flow of waves that you can almost hear in the setting (but now I’m self-praising). (Yanagihara)

7. En la Orilla del Mundo

Music: Martín Rojas Lyrics: Pablo Milanés

This is a piece written by Martín Rojas, the talented blind guitarist who was based in Mexico. This song became widely known among jazz fans after being included on Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Charlie Haden’s album Nocturne. It’s often performed as an instrumental song, but after discovering that there are lyrics, EMiKO found them to sing here, and it has now completely become a standard Enyana song. (Yanagihara)

8. Poinciana

Music: Nat Simon Lyrics: Buddy Bernier

EMiKO requested to try out this song for Enyana, and I made an arrangement for this album. Originally based on a traditional Cuban folk song whose title refers to the vivid Poinciana flowers that blow in the warm Cuban winds, basing this arrangement around a 7-beat rhythm makes for a really thrilling musical development (stressful!). It has the taste of Enyana and I really like it. The original song has been a jazz standard played by many musicians. I hope that you like this version with the flavor of Enyana. (Yanagihara)

9. Quiet Little Lady

Music: Debora Gurgel

This is a piece by Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger Debora Gurgel. It’s an instrumental song that was inspired by the words of Chick Corea. I think it’s fair to say that one of Enyana’s distinctive characteristics is to take up songs without lyrics. You can also say that taking up an already fast-paced samba feel with dizzying melodies and movements is also reckless for just two people (laughs). However, once you try this kind of thrilling performance, you may find that it’s also quite addictive (laughs). I hope that you can enjoy with along with me. (Yanagihara)

10. Beatriz

Music: Edu Lobo Lyrics: Chico Buarque

When I first heard this, I thought it was such a beautiful song. As EMiKO explained the meaning of the lyrics to me, I could also appreciate the very Brazilian choice of words and expressions. This is a masterpiece by the maestros Edu Lobo & Chico Buarque. I’m so grateful to have encountered this song, as it’s such a delicate and wonderful piece of music, and one that would crumble and fall away from my hands that were so carefully nurturing it, if I were to let my guard down. (Yanagihara)

Audio and Video

• Promotional video for this album with excerpts from all tracks:

• Live version of “Corrida de Jangada” (tr. 1) from 2022:

• Live version of “Alfonsina y el Mar” (tr. 2) from 2021:

• Live version of “Sai Dessa” (tr. 3) from 2020:

• Enyana performing Chick Corea’s “Spain” from 2021:

• Archive video of a live-streamed Enyana performance from 2020, with “Rabo de Nube”, “Águas de Março”, “Alfonsina y el Mar” (tr. 2), “Sai Dessa” (tr. 3), “Los Pajaros Perdidos” (tr. 4), and “Forró Brasil” (tr. 5)

• Excerpt from track #8: “Poinciana”

On this release from 2022, Emiko Voice releases music from her Standard Trio project, capturing songs recorded over two live concerts at the jazz club Lydian in Tokyo and self-described as an “out of standard” performance. On this album’s nine tracks, the petite, power-packed artist sings and plays percussion with her bandmates Keisuke Ohta on violin and voice, and Atsushi Abe on piano.

With Ohta’s Arabianesque violin and occasional voice punctuations, and the fluid and full presence of Abe’s piano, the music wanders evocatively between lush Latin music and scene-setting songs, and really brings home the feeling of a concert performance with its energy, live sound, and audience applause. Through it all, Emiko Voice’s vocal prowess takes center stage, and at turns is delicate, soft, and spirited, acrobatically agile and in control.

Over half of the music draws from Latin influences, yet a distinct feeling is delivered from track to track. On the Latin-influenced music, “Cucurrucucú Paloma”, a Mexican love song, is tropically colorful, “Spain” is upbeat and exciting, “Caravan” is wild and exotic, and “Chovendo na Roseira” is smooth and hypnotic. On the storytelling dance of “Berimbau”, Emiko Voice uses both Japanese narration and Portuguese vocals, and violinist Ohta later solos with his violin while interjecting vocal chants, before the band comes together for a splendid and rousing conclusion.

The other album tracks include “Azure”, a dreamy, drifting tune from Duke Ellington and Irving Mills (who, with Juan Tizol, also gave us “Caravan”), “Improvisation”, a dramatic scene of wordless vocalizing and musical painting, a brief and bare “My Funny Valentine”, and the album closer, “Spring Is Here”, the bittersweet parting of a beautiful ballad that is almost played as a lullaby.

Audio and Video

• Promotional video with excerpts from this album:

• Excerpt from track #6: “Chovendo na Roseira”

One such group is Meu Coração (“my heart” in Portuguese), the creation of Emiko Voice and Taro Sukegawa. The pair delivers impeccable and sweet Brazilian music through perfectly matched voice and guitar. Their 2009 debut album Hall Tone features one hour of Brazilian music through bossa nova, samba, choro, and the like. The simple combination of acoustic guitar and voice brings into relief the strength of the music and atmosphere, and the Portuguese lyrics deliver hints of love songs and bittersweet tales.

As suggested by the album title, the natural reverb of a concert hall is a featured quality on this album. The music was recorded at a single source in a large hall to capture the raw sound and reverb of instruments in that space. The power of two musicians making honest, unadorned music rings true here and showcases the strength of the selections and the musicians’ affinity and skill. The pair masters their shared role in shaping and spicing up the music through strumming and plucking of strings and vocal accents to enhance the pulse and movement of the music.

While jazz fans are no doubt familiar with oft-covered tunes such as “Girl from Ipanema”, “Corcovado” and such, much of the music on this collection may be unfamiliar to non-specialists, but no less impressive. Even as Jobim songs are always cozy and welcoming, I found myself returning to the songs on this recording which I hadn’t heard before, pleased to be expanding my horizons. Fans of the inimitable Antônio Carlos Jobim will also eager to hear the duo’s follow-up album Hall Tone 2 from 2012, dedicated to Jobim’s music.

It’s also worth mentioning that since the 2009 debut of Hall Tone, Meu Coracao has also been performing unplugged, natural sound shows for more than seven years at sold-out concert halls in Tokyo.

Audio and Video

• A live version of “Pra Que Discutir Com Madame”, track #3 from this album:

• A 2008 clip from NHK showcasing Meu Coracao playing at an outdoor live concert:

• Excerpt from track #15: “サイ・デッサ (Sai Dessa)”

While Emiko Voice can deliver swingy cuteness and honey sweetness on mid-tempo swing and ballads with an alluringly soft style, she can also carve up bebop lines and turn corners expertly on odd-meter and breakneck-speed songs. On tracks like “Just One Of Those Things” and Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation” and “Yardbird Suite”, the vocalist tracks Parker’s original solos with vocalese and lets loose with bebop improvisation as well. Pianist Suga’s experience with free jazz and other genres comes into play as he veers and curves through the music, pushing boundaries with a sense of danger that makes it seem like the structure could come crashing down at any moment, yet holds fast masterfully.

Playful yet serious, the duo also covers mid-tempo and ballad tracks such as “Shiny Stockings”, “Solitude”, and “Every Time We Say Goodbye” with original and imposing atmospheres, where the vibrating piano strings and evocative vocals encompass the listener in a stimulating experience.

Audio and Video

• Emiko Voice and Dairo Suga performing “Honeysuckle Rose”:

• Excerpt from track #8: “コンファメーション (Confirmation)”

The album starts with a vibrant “One Note Samba” and also features a catchy “Lawns”, the peppy Brazilian tunes “Corrida De Jangada” and “Batacuda Surgiu”, and a sentimental, lush “Amazon River”. The album closes like a sweet lullaby with a dreamy “Love Me Tender”.

The music grooves with creative arrangements and interesting effects, rooted by the vocal-guitar duo at the core who continue to make music from the heart.

Audio and Video

• Live performance of “Corrida De Jangada”, the third track on this album:

• Promotional video featuring the second track “Lawns”:

• Excerpt from track #1: “Samba de uma nota so[’]”

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.

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”