Jazz

William S. Fischer is a keyboardist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer from Shelby, Mississippi.  In the '50s, he performed with artists like Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, and Muddy Waters.   In the '60s, Fischer was primarily an arranger…

Silvano D'Auria is an Italian pianist, arranger, and producer from Ascoli Piceno, Italy.  Early in his career, D'Auria was primarily a jazz musician, and he performed in Italy with his quintet Silvano D'Auria Quintent.  In the '70s, he…

Armando Manzanero was a composer, pianist, and singer from Ticul, Yucatán, Mexico.  In 1950, at fifteen years old, he composed his first song, "Nunca en el Mundo (Never in the World)."  One year later, he started his career as a…

Mai Yamane is a Japanese city pop singer from Izumo, Shimane, Japan. City pop was a genre of music that originated in Japan in the '70s and it peaked during the '80s.  In 1979, Yamane released her debut single, "Gozen Reiji."  In 1980, she…

France Gall is a French yé-yé singer from Paris, France.  Yé-yé was a style of music that originated in Southern Europe during the early '60s.  The inspiration for the genre was British and American rock 'n' roll.  In 1963, when France Gall…

Taeko Ohnuki is a singer and songwriter from Suginami, Tokyo, Japan.  In 1973, she formed Sugar Babe, a band featuring Japanese musicians Tatsuro Yamashita and Kunio Muramatsu.   After struggling to find success at home, the group broke up…

Paul Mauriat was a French orchestra leader from Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.  As a child, Mauriat studied classical music, but as a teenager, he transitioned to jazz and popular music.  At 17, he formed his own orchestra, and he…

Ryo Fukui was a jazz pianist from Biratori, Hokkaido, Japan.  In 1970, when Fukui was 22 years old, he taught himself how to play the piano.  Six years later, he released his debut album, Scenery.  One of the standout tracks from his album…

Stelvio Cipriani was an Italian film composer who made the majority of his music throughout the '60s and '70s.  In 1966, he composed his first soundtrack; his music was featured in the Spaghetti western The Bounty Killer.  In 1969, Cipriani…

Hiroshi Suziki was a jazz trombonist from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.  He only released two albums in his career, but he played a role in the expansion of jazz in Japan.  As a trombonist, Suziki played with Nobuo Hara and His Sharps &…