Naniwa Express (ナニワエキスプレス, also written as 浪花エキスプレス) was a Japanese jazz fusion group active from 1977 to 1986. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz it was "one of the most successful jazz fusion bands in Japan".[1] The group was founded by Ko Shimizu and Kazuhiko Iwami, with Kiyoshi Kamada on drums in the early years; Kenji Nakamura joined in 1978. The group traveled to the US in 1979 and returned in 1980; Rikiya Higashihara and Makoto Aoyagi joined in 1981. The group made its first recordings for CBS/Sony in 1982, and continued recording until its dissolution in 1986. Limited reunion touring and recording occurred in the 2000s.
Members
edit- Kazuhiko Iwami - guitar
- Kenji Nakamura - keyboards
- Ko Shimizu (ja) - bass
- Makoto Aoyagi (ja) - piano, saxophone
- Rikiya Higashihara - drums
Discography
editReferences
edit- ^ Kazunori Sugiyama, "Rikiya Higashihara". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld.
- ^ "Naniwa Express – life of music". Discogs. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ "THIS is IT!". Naniwa Express. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Naniwa Express – Fresh Dude". Discogs. Retrieved 5 October 2022.