Akiko Yano reflects on how music has changed after 40 years in the business

[yuiyoshida]

NEW YORK – What would a U.S.A. Day look like in Japan? There would need to be American food, like hamburgers, and some kind of technological wonder, like monster trucks! Now imagine Kate Bush shows up.

OK, that’s where things fall apart — Bush is English. But she’s the closest Western musician that I can liken Akiko Yano to. On May 8, I ventured down to Central Park for the 10th annual Japan Day — which featured ramen and Pepper the robot — to see Yano perform. The 61-year-old pianist was there to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her music industry debut. Her album “Japanese Girl” was released on July 25, 1976.

Her 30-minute set, jazzy and joyous, included signature songs “Ramen Tabetai,” “Gohan ga Dekita Yo” and “Harusaki Kobeni,” and had the crowd of around 400 on their feet dancing. Yano herself, however, is elegantly humble when it comes to assessing her talent.

“I’m not a very special person,” she tells The Japan Times. “I was given the ability to play the piano a little better than the average person.”

When I first discovered Yano a few years ago, though, it quickly became clear that she is a special person. The cover of her 1977 album “Iroha ni Konpeito” caught my eye thanks to the inherent whimsy it portayed: Yano, clad in a red jumpsuit, holds a giant inflatable dolphin over her shoulders. She says the cover came about due to her friendship with iconic fashion designer Issey Miyake.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2016/05/15/music/akiko-yano-reflects-music-changed-40-years-business/#.VzqyHtQrLMo