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Sadao Watanabe, the Japanese saxophone superstar, who had performed in Hong Kong to celebrate the opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre ten years ago, is invited by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to perform again here for the "Jazz Up" Concert Series. The performance will be staged on October 8 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Sadao Watanabe always stays firm in creating music that though simple in form, and thus more immediate in appeal, is still beautifully crafted. His magnetic charm attracts not only music lovers but fellow musicians including top American jazzmen who came to Japan for his performance.
Together with Watanabe, His Group members include Jun Kajiwara (Guitar), Koichi Osamu (Bass), Akira Onozuka (Piano and Keyboard), Masaharu Ishikawa (Drums), Steve Thornton (Percussions), and the N'Goma Makamba (Percussions). They will bring here numerous delightful melodies including "Tanzania E", "Afrozil", " Earth Step", "I thought of you", "Aquarian Groove", and many more. It is sure a concert that jazz music lovers cannot miss.
Sadao Watanabe began learning the clarinet under the influence of film "Birth of the Blues" and switched to saxophone at the age of eighteen. He had made a name for himself in the jazz scene by playing in several quartets and sessions in Japan.
Over the years, apart from his successful international tours, numerous recordings were made with notable acclaim with a number of albums ranked number one in the United States Jazz Chart for four consecutive weeks.
2001 marks Watanabe's 50th anniversary as a musician, it will be a year filled with special events to commemorate his remarkable achievement.
Appears with Sadao Watanabe will be N'Goma Makamba. Formed in 1995, the name itself means beating drums with friends in the language of the Angola region in Africa. Each of their members has professional backgrounds playing African percussion. Based in Portugal, the percussion group creates a unique cross-cultural rhythmic experience, building on their Aftican roots with musical elements of Afro-Latin, Middle Eastern, and Asian tastes. Their music has been heard all over Europe, Africa and many more places in the world.
The Concert will be staged at 8 pm on October 8 (Monday) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at $150 to $400 are now available at all URBTIX outlets. Half-price concessions will be granted to full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Limited tickets for students and CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Special 10% discount will be offered to every purchase of tickets for three JAZZ UP concerts: "Sadao Watanabe & his group with N'Goma Makamba", "Piano Seven" and "The Swingle Singers".
There will be five exciting Jazz music programme of "Jazz Up" Concert Series to be presented in the coming months, starting with "Sadao Watanabe and His Group with N'Goma Makamba" and "Piano Seven" (Switzerland) in October, then "The Swingle Singers" (the United Kingdom) in November, "The Steve Turre Sextet with Strings" (the United States) in December, last but not the last "Kenny Werner Trio & Ted Lo" (the United States & Hong Kong) in January 2002.
For programme details, please call 2734 2935; for reservations and ticketing enquiries, please call 2734 9009.
End/Tuesday, August 28, 2001
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