Japanese jazz pianist and singer, Akiko Yano, returned to the West Coast for the first time in years. Known for her work in Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbors the Yamadas, the musician debuted in 1976 with Japanese Girl. Since then, she has collaborated with artists spanning across rock, pop, folk, and contemporary genres. Despite her rare appearance on the West side of the United States, Yano regularly performs in New York City, where she currently resides. “I don’t remember the last time I played in Los Angeles, but I’m so happy to be here,” said the musician.
Starting from the beginning, she opened with the first track from her debut album, “Kikyuu Ni Notte.” Skipping ahead in her discography timeline, she dove into a stripped down version of her techno-track, “David.” Contrary to rumors about which famous David this song could be referring to, Yano clarified in a previous interview that it’s about King David from the Bible. Cheekily acknowledging her long music catalog, she recognized that they are all “kind of old, but gold.”
Reminiscing on the background of the next song, “Nothing In Tow,” the pianist shared the inspiration for the track. “I used to have a piano rehearsal studio in upstate New York that takes a two hour drive and is in the middle of nowhere. At the end of summer, I saw a family car towing another car or maybe a boat. Since it was the end of summer vacation, they were going back to the city. I wrote this song inspired by those scenes.”
She would continue to sprinkle bits of trivia throughout her performances, providing the crowd with intimate insight into her life. Playing an upbeat, jazz cover of Taeko Onuki’s “Yokogao,” Yano revisited the piece that she previously performed with Onuki over 15 years ago. Moving onto “SUPER FOLK SONG,” the musician joked how she was the only one to perform it (between her and the lyricist, Shigesato Itoi). “Apparently I was the only one singing this song, but it’s many people’s favorites.”
Stepping back even further, Yano decided to transport listeners to the 1960s with The Rascals’ “How Can I Be Sure.” Poking fun at their name, she couldn’t help but comment on their origins. “They started as The Young Rascals and later they dropped it to just The Rascals. How wise of them (laughs). Although she had many songs to choose from, Yano lamented the limited time of her set. “To this day, I’ve sung many songs and I really wanted to play many of them. So I decided to pick the old songs, midterm era, and some from the latest one.”
On her latest album, I Want to See You So Badly, Yano shared, “It was a collaboration with Japanese astronaut, Soichi Noguchi. He wrote the words in space and I made the music on Earth.” She performed one of the songs off that album called “Transparent World.” She provided an English translation of Noguchi’s lyrics before playing, which she prefaced that it was “not approved” and only done for the showcase. The exciting riffs of the piano keys painted an image of Noguchi in space, staring down at Earth, which was welcoming him back with open arms.
Coming back down from space, a distance shorter than LA to San Francisco, Yano went on to play four songs back to back without pause. Three triumphant renditions of her songs continually built on the energy before it, leading to a natural climax into a melodic cover of Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times Come Again No More.”
Before the concert, she asked attendees what songs they wanted to hear. Dedicating the last section of her concert to those requests, Yano chose “Gohan Ga Dekitayo” as it was at the top of the list, as well as “GREENFIELDS.” Ending the main section of her set with “Hitotsudake,” Yano thanked the audience for coming to see her. After taking a quick break offstage, she returned once more for a rousing rendition of the stomach grumbling jazz song, “Ramen Tabetai.”
Setlist
- Kikyuu Ni Notte
- David
- Home Sweet Home
- Nothing In Tow
- Yokogao (Taeko Onuki cover)
- SUPER FOLK SONG
- How Can I Be Sure (The Rascals cover)
- Transparent World
- Chuuousen
- Harusaki Kobeni
- Rose Garden
- Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen Foster Cover)
- Gohan Ga Dekitayo
- GREENFIELDS
- Hitotsudake
Encore
- Ramen Tabetai
