These has been one of the most requested albums. Japanese Bassist Kazumi Watanabe forms a powerful Jazz Rock trio with none other than Richard Bona on bass and drummer virtuoso Horacio 'El Negro' Hernandez…

Hidefumi Toki is one of the prominent alto saxophonists in Japan. Born in 1950, he had formal and classical musical education on clarinet in high school and saxophone in college. Although he eventually quit school to become a full-time jazz musician, some say that his classical training helped him acquire his beautiful tone. Recorded in 1975 for Three Blind Mice, this debut album featured his superb regular group at the time, a pianoless quartet including the incredible Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, Nobuyoshi Ino on bass and an American expat Steve Jackson on drums.

Kazumi Watanabe has for the past 20 years been one of the top guitarists in fusion, a rock-oriented player whose furious power does not mask a creative imagination. Watanabe studied guitar at Tokyo's Yamaha Music School and he was a recording artist while still a teenager. In 1979, he formed the group Kylyn and, in 1983, he put together the Mobo band. Several of his recordings have been made available by Gramavision and they show that he ranks up with Al DiMeola (when he is electrified) and Scott Henderson among the pacesetters in the idiom. This album features a special duet featuring Japanese pianist Kimiko Tanigawa.

Special duet featuring Japanese vocalist Minako Yoshida and jazz/fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. Kazumi Watanabe has for the past 20 years been one of the top guitarists in fusion, a rock-oriented player whose furious power does not mask a creative imagination. Watanabe studied guitar at Tokyo's Yamaha Music School and he was a recording artist while still a teenager. In 1979, he formed the group Kylyn and, in 1983, he put together the Mobo band. Several of his recordings have been made available by Gramavision and they show that he ranks up with Al DiMeola (when he is electrified) and Scott Henderson among the pacesetters in the idiom.

Kazumi Watanabe is the indisputable #1 guitarist in Japan, voted Best Guiatrist in Swing Journal magazine a mere 31 years in a row! Although jazz is his preferred modus operandi Watanabe has also collaborated with Japanese legends like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sadao Watanabe and the Yellow Magic Orchestra, bringing huge success at home and international recognition that led to him playing alongside Steps, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius and Bill Bruford.

Olive's Step is the 6th album by Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe. The album was released on LP by Better Days label of Nippon Columbia in 1977…

To Chi Ka is a fusion album by Kazumi Watanabe. It was recorded and mixed in March 1980 during a very prolific period for Watanabe and then released in May 1980. The album features some of the most acclaimed jazz and rock musicians; part of them will follow Watanabe in other projects, too…

Kazumi Watanabe was only 17 when his debut Infinite was released in 1971, with his display of guitar skills establishing him as a young prodigy. As the late 70's continued, Watanabe created over a dozen jazz fusion albums, while also performing guitar segments on other musicians' albums. He travelled with Yellow Magic Orchestra on their tour in 1979 and was a key collaborator with many of the musicians involved, in particular with Ryuichi Sakamoto…