"Jazz for myself": Watanabe Sadao and jazz in Postwar Japan, 1945-1969
Date
2000
Authors
Rippingale, Anthony Earl
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Abstract
The present thesis provides a historical analysis of the development of jazz in Japan with specific emphasis on the life and career of Japanese jazz musician Watanabe Sadao. Issues of race, culture and authenticity, as d1ey relate to jazz, are discussed in reference to Watanabe's life and prominent career in both the U.S. and Japan during the period from 1945 to 1969. As well, this work serves to underscore the need for a critical reassessment of jazz as more than solely a musical genre, but also as an artistic expression imbued with rich social, cultural and historical meaning and significance.