1568210F8BDA36731497444CB5F33CFD0C6DB222837DC2CFEEA84002902ED2C7
Misato Katsuragi (December 08, 1986 – September 02, 2024) was a celebrated jazz vocalist whose enchanting voice left a lasting "impact" on the jazz scene of the early 2010s. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Misato grew up surrounded by music, with her father Hideaki Katsuragi being a classically trained pianist and her late mother a traditional Japanese singer. Her early exposure to diverse musical styles laid the foundation for her vocal technique later on in her career, which blended the precision of classical technique with the heartfelt dynamism, passion, and expression of jazz. It was more than a genre to her; it was a confession in the universal language of music. "Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life," Misato stated in an interview in 2014.
It was in her early teens that Misato first discovered the music of singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan. She fell in love with the sound and fully immersed herself in it, eventually moving to the United States in 2006 to pursue a career in jazz. In 2008, her debut album "A Late Night Drinking Beer Until You Pass Out From Alcohol Poisoning with Misato" was well-received by both casual listeners and critics, with some claiming it was the greatest jazz album to have been released since the late 70s.
Tragically, Misato's life came to an abrupt end in 2024, when she got into a car accident on her way to a live performance due to driving under the influence. On that day, an established career that had only just begun to near legendary status was cut short. Her death was a profound loss to the jazz world, and she was mourned by fans and colleagues alike. Shinji Ikari, a young man who had once lived with her, claimed "[Misato] gave me the love my father didn't. I think she saved my life [by grooming me]." Fortunately, her Renault Alpine A310 wasn't too badly damaged in the crash and was repaired and resold a few days later.
album cover: i made this with google slides
Alice Babs, Nils Lindberg's Orchestra – Music With A Jazz Flavour [1973]
Note: Tracks A2, A3, A4, A5, B1 not included.
00:00:00 A1 Song For The Dreamer
00:03:45 B2 It Don't Mean A Thing
00:07:00 B3 How About a Blues
00:11:43 B4 Checkered Hat
00:16:04 B5 A Hundred Years From Today
00:20:50 Natural Affection
00:25:33 Say When
Modern Jazz All Stars - The Cat [1970]
00:29:36 A1 The Cat
00:33:43 A2 Moanin
00:37:11 A3 Comin' Home Baby
00:40:32 A4 Watermelon Man
00:43:49 A5 Work Song
00:47:14 A6 The "In" Crowd
00:50:51 B1 A Night in Tunisia
00:55:10 B2 Sidewinder
00:59:02 B3 Blues March
01:02:54 B4 Take Five
01:05:51 B5 Take The A Train
01:09:42 B6 Drum Boogie
Sonny Fortune - Waves of Dreams [1976]
Note: greatest intro ever?
01:13:05 A1 Seeing Beyond The Obvious
01:19:19 A2 A Space In Time
01:26:41 A3 In Waves Of Dreams
01:33:16 B1 Revelation
01:42:53 B2 Thoughts
Isoo Fukui Quartet – Sunrise/Sunset [1976]
Note: mind = blown
01:53:03 A1 7th Avenue Sunrise
02:01:50 A2 Happy Walk
02:08:29 A3 Lady T
02:14:19 B1 Don't Explain
02:21:27 B2 7th Avenue Sunset
02:28:53 B3 Early Summer
Greetje Kauffeld – And Let The Music Play [1974]
Note: A-side is great. Skip B3 (the accent).
02:35:39 A1 This Is All I Ask
02:39:36 A2 Day By Day
02:41:58 A3 Cabaret
02:46:05 A4 By Myself
02:49:05 A5 Tristeza
02:51:28 B1 The Greatest Performance
02:54:01 B2 A Time For Love
02:55:59 B3 Morenal
02:59:34 B4 Mr. Bojangles
03:03:37 B5 You And I
Housecat & Sisyphus 55 [2020]
Note: Track 5 not included.
03:06:49 Track 1
03:11:31 Track 2
03:14:58 Track 3
03:18:12 Track 4
03:21:21 Track 6
03:24:52 Track 7
03:28:38 Track 8
03:32:20 Track 9
03:35:15 Track 10
03:39:29 Track 11
03:42:41 Track 12
Housecat & Sisyphus 55, Vol 2 [2022]
03:46:46 Autumn Leaves
03:50:38 The Last Time I Saw You
03:55:18 I’ll Stay A Fool
03:59:09 Strangers At The Airport
04:05:18 Wishful Thinking
04:09:09 Hollow Gaze
04:11:21 Shoe-Shop Blues
04:14:30 Melatonin
Housecat & Sisyphus 55, Vol 3 [2023]
04:17:30 No. 1
04:23:00 No. 2
04:27:22 No. 3
04:31:05 No. 4
04:34:35 No. 5
Flirt and Dream: Francy Boland in the Background [1967]
04:37:51 A1 Double Play Gal
04:41:06 A2 Clown Princess
04:43:48 A3 A Blue Girl in a Red Sunrise
04:48:41 A4 Claudia
04:51:35 A5 Turkish Girl
04:54:13 B1 Pretty and Childlike
04:57:30 B2 In the Darkness the Shape Seemed Familiar
05:00:42 B3 But Supposin'
05:05:21 B4 A Girl Mad as Birds
05:07:34 B5 Lille Mor
AMPS 1012 (Brian Dee, Jim Lawless, Trevor Bastow) - Keeping It Loose [1981]
05:09:47 A1 Suddenly In November
05:11:56 A2 San Bodero
05:14:37 A3 Keeping It Loose
05:17:35 A4 Calamity Jane
05:19:37 A5 Mean Machine
05:22:44 A6 Moon Tide
05:25:21 B1 Five Spot
05:27:56 B2 Polo Pony
05:30:43 B3 Quietly Does It
05:33:26 B4 Gringo
05:35:42 B5 Cat Crawl
05:37:48 B6 Chase Me Charlie Do
EXTRA: Mebae Miyahara - Cat [1981]
05:40:26 A1 Milky Cat
05:43:36 A2 V・T・R
05:47:29 A3 土曜日の夜だというのに
05:51:11 A4 あの娘とメンソール
05:54:53 A5 一枚の時間
05:59:05 B1 悪魔のように微笑んで
06:03:03 B2 黄昏メトロ
06:06:53 B3 木枯らしキャット
06:09:46 B4 10 YEARS