Album Notes

"ORIGIN/JEWEL" is the highly anticipated follow-up CD by pianist and composer Mamiko Watanabe.

Personnel on "ORIGIN":
Mamiko Watanabe: piano, Ruben Austin: electric bass, Maurice Brown: trumpet, Karel Ruzika, Jr.: tenor sax, Harvey Wirht: drums and Roland Guerrero: percussion.

Personnel on "JEWEL":
Mamiko Watanabe: piano, Massimo Biolcati: acoustic bass and Francisco Mela: drums.

About "ORIGIN/JEWEL":

ORIGIN/JEWEL is Mamiko Watanabe's exploration into the different styles of music which she has been exposed to over the years. And because she, too has different sides to her musical personality, her intention with this release is to give the listener two different perspectives recorded on two separate CDs.

Hence, ORIGIN/JEWEL consists of two separate CDs; "ORIGIN" contains music written in the Funk and Latin genres whereas "JEWEL" consists of contemporary jazz compositions performed in the classic acoustic piano trio format.

About Mamiko Watanabe:

Mamiko Watanabe was born in Fukuoka, Japan and began studying piano at the age of 5 at the Yamaha Music School. In 1999 Mamiko received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Berklee Cllege of Music. She studied Jazz piano, improvisation and composition. While at Berklee College of Music, she received several awards for Jazz Piano and Composition. Mamiko Watanabe was a semi-finalists at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in Montreux, Switzerland in 2002 and 2003. Ms. Watanabe has tour Germany, Italy and Japan and Performed with several Jazz greats such as Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby McFerrin, Tiger Okoshi and Phil Wilson. In 2003 she received the Down Beat Student Award in the Jazz Soloist category. Ms. Watanabe has recently moved to New York and has performed at many venues such as The Kitano NY, The Blue Note, Cleopatra's Needle, Lenox Lounge, Zinc Bar, 55 Bar, The Knitting Factory and S.O.B.'s. Mamiko has also performed in several Jazz Festivals in the United States, Europe and Japan. Mamiko Watanabe recorded her first CD as a leader "One After Another" in 2005.