Jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe

by YOKO MORIHIRO
Hokubei Mainichi

Jazz saxophonist Sadao Watanabe has been playing music for more than 50 years, winning acclaim both in Japan and abroad. He will be kicking off a six-city U.S. tour in San Francisco on Aug. 29.

The last time Watanabe (affectionately nicknamed “Nabesada”) visited the U.S. with Japanese members of his band was 14 years ago. This time around, he and his crew have a whole slew of original songs and the performances promise to be enjoyable.

Watanabe spoke with the Hokubei about this tour and his future hopes and goals.

HM: So it’s been 14 years since you last toured with Japanese members of your group in the U.S.

SW: I do shows in the U.S. every two or three years. It costs a lot to travel, so until now I’ve been coming here alone and playing with local musicians. Those times, I usually didn’t have enough time to rehearse, so most of the sets were half my original songs, half jazz standards. But this time most of the songs we’ll be playing will be my originals.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) covered all the travel expenses of the group, so this time we were able to bring everyone. We’re very grateful.

HM: Have you ever played at Yoshi’s in San Francisco before?

SW: This will be my first time. They showed me the layout of the place, so I’m excited to come.

HM: How do you like San Francisco?

SW: The first time I came to San Francisco was in 1965. I have a lot of memories here and I love this town. In those days, the only Asian jazz musicians were myself and the legendary pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi. That was rare back then so many Japanese Americans came to see me play.

I made a lot of Nisei friends with whom I’ve been close ever since, like Hiroshi Shimizu (a Hokubei Mainichi board member) and Masashi Matsumoto. The end of the ’60s was a time when I was coming and going, and San Francisco was a base for me of sorts. I think my Nisei friends will definitely come to see the show.

HM: Where in San Francisco did you hang out the most?

SW: North Beach mostly. On Broadway there was a jazz club called Basin Street West, and across the way there was El Matador, next to which there was a club called Jazz Workshop. That area was very vibrant. It cost $16 per week to stay at the hotel above the Basin Street West, the cheapest around, so I always stayed there. At El Matador, I hung out with Brazil 65, Sergio Mendes’ band, between sets, and I became really interested in Brazilian music.

HM: Is that why we hear a Brazilian influence in your music?

SW: I was first and foremost a jazz musician, so I started with bebop. But then I met Gary McFarland, who put out an album called “Soft Samba.” I played with his group and had to play Latino and bossa nova music. I had never had any interest in that kind of music. I thought it was dull. But Gary’s music was so comforting. That’s how I got into other music besides jazz.

In 1968, I stayed in Brazil for three months and played in jam sessions with local musicians. That’s when I totally fell in love with the music. In the ’70s I was traveling to Africa a lot, so the charm of their music set on me too. I think the spirit of those countries and places are reflected in my music.

HM: You’ve visited so many countries. Which one has made the biggest impression on you?

SW: Recently, I’ve found Tibet to be very emotionally moving.

HM: What do you think about the Tibet issue, something that came up with the Olympic Games in Beijing?

SW: The Dalai Lama says that we must forgive oppressors and that revenge by violence is absolutely prohibited. So like him, I try to be forgiving. But on a personal level, I have seen situations where the Chinese are persecuting the Tibetans. It really angers me. That’s a personal contradiction for me, quite the dilemma.

HM: You created a samba team of children called Escola Jafro in your hometown in Tochi-gi Prefecture. You played with them and with other kids from around the world at many occasions, including the World Exposition Aichi of 2005 and in Spain at the Zaragoza Expo this past July. What started that?

SW: It started with a annual national cultural festival held in Tochigi in 1996. I saw a samba team from Brazil called Olodum and they had such a dynamic rhythm despite using only three percussion instruments, and I thought, “That’s perfect for kids.”

So I posted my interest in that on the bulletin board of the weekly Shinchou and a director from NHK contacted me to actually make it happen. We invited young Olodum players and the kids of Tochigi practiced with them for a whole year before the festival, and their performance at the festival was a huge success. We didn’t want to be limited to that once, so I started a rhythm school and the samba team. It’s been 14 years since then.

We invite professional musicians from Brazil and hold a music camp every year. Now kids became great drummers who may be able to play as professional musicians. A big dream of mine is to have those kids play with Olodum.

HM: Have you played with samba groups at concert venues?

SW: I heard the other day that there’s a group in San Francisco that has Asian and Brazilian rhythms in its sound (a group called SambAsia). I hope to be able to do a joint concert with them and with Escola Jafro someday.

HM: You have many opportunities to play at international venues and expos. Do you have a personal interest in issues relating to world peace and environmental protection?

SW: I’ve traveled so much since I was young, so I’ve always been aware of how we’re destroying nature. It’s so painful to see and recently, we’re really seeing it all in close-up, aren’t we? I’m a musician, so I intend to do whatever I can to help through my music.

HM: What are your future goals?

SW: My origin started as a saxophone player, so I just want to play the sax. In the ’70s and ’80s I poured myself into writing music, but now I really want to play the sax as just a player.
There are tons of things I’m not satisfied with in my own playing, and there are a lot of performers out there that play at a higher level of technique and feeling. And there are people that play on the streets that I admire.

I hope to make the saxophone more a part of me and to really pursue my own sound.

Watanabe’s San Francisco performances will take place at the jazz club Yoshi’s on Friday, Aug. 29, Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31. There will be performances at 8 and 10 p.m. on the 29th and 30th. On the 31st, there will be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. and another show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 except for the matinee, which is $26 for adults and $5 for kids. Tickets can be purchased at sfyoshis.inticketing.com or by calling (415) 655-5600. For details, visit sf.yoshis.com/sf/jazzclub.

Performances are also scheduled in other towns: Tuesday, Sept. 2, in Los Angeles (Catalina Bar & Grill); Wednesday, Sept. 3, in San Diego (Anthology); Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5 and 6, in Washington, D.C. (Blues Alley); Monday, Sept. 8, in New York (Blue Note); and Tuesday, Sept. 9, in Boston (Regattabar).