Album Notes

Notes



Japanese born vocalist/improviser Mari Okubo is a pioneer who created a new style of singing, which goes beyond prior genres
such as opera, jazz, funk, pop, contemporary art music, and Japanese traditional, and which also transcends
the boundary between East and West.


Ornette Coleman has described her voice as "One of the most beautiful voices coming from a human being."
He wrote songs (words, music, arrangements) especially for her in accordance with her vocal ideas and produced this CD, "Cosmic Life".
Coleman also played trumpet solo in the title song, "Cosmic Life". Okubo was Joined by such superb musicians as
Wallace Rony (tr), Lewis Soloff (tr), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass), Kenny Wessel (guitar), and Chris Walker (bass).


Okubo has performed with Coleman in the variety of settings: as a featured singer, in "The Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival" in New York,
"The Umbria Jazz Festival," Perugia, Italy, Ornette's "Japan tour 2006" at Orchard Hall and Geijutsu Gekijo in Tokyo, with her own band
"Evolving Cosmos," in " The JVC Jazz Festival" at Carnegie Hall as well as "The Art project 92" International New Music Festival in Munich Germany.


Born and raised in Tokyo, Okubo graduated from Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music (the Julliard of Japan), where she studied Opera and
German Lied. Upon graduation Okubo moved to Italy where she continued study with world-renowned voice teacher Maestro Giorgio Favaretto
at Academia Chigiana. From that time, she was already interested in contemporary art music. After finishing academic studies, Okubo determined
to create a new vocal art.

Following a fortuitous meeting with Ornette, Okubo began to study Coleman's Harmolodic Theory, synthesizing a variety of singing styles.
Under his guidance Okubo finally succeeded in creating a universal style of singing where the vocal and instrumental relationship
equal space instantly and word and instrumental sound create universal oneness.


Prior to her collaboration with Coleman, as a contemporary art music singer, Okubo performed with leading Japanese composer Takehisa Kosugi
(Music Director of Merce Cunningham Dance Company), Akio Suzuki in the Contemporary Music Festival in Tokyo, with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and
Anthony Davis at Carnegie's Weil Recital Hall, and in the Avant-garde Festival produced by Charlotte Moorman.