Himiko Kikuchi
Himiko Kikuchi | |
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| Born | Himiko Kikuchi (菊池 ひみこ) March 2, 1953 Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan |
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| Years active | 1965–present |
Himiko Kikuchi (菊池 ひみこ, Kikuchi Himiko; born March 2, 1953) is a Japanese jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer and arranger.[1]
Early life
Kikuchi was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture,[1] on March 2, 1953. Raised in Shiogama, she began studying classical piano at the age of 7, under the tutelage of Ruiko Koga of Miyagi Gakuin Women's University's Music Department, and Tokyo University of the Arts Professor Takako Horie.[1] When she was 12 years old, she won second prize at the Yamaha Electone Competition for her performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.[1]
Music career
After performing with vocalists and musicians such as Takuro Yoshida, Tsunehiko Kamijō, and Mayumi Itsuwa, Kikuchi began studying under jazz pianist Sadayasu Fujii around 1975.[1] On July 11, 1979, Kikuchi was the keyboardist for Bingo Miki & the Inner Galaxy Orchestra during their set at Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.[1][2]
In 1980, Kikuchi released her debut studio album, Don't Be Stupid,[1] through the Teichiku Records sublabel Continental. The following year, she arranged the tracks for the 1981 album Cool "C" by American musician Richie Cole. Her next albums, Flashing (1981),[3] All Right (1982), Woman (1983), and Reverse It (1984),[1] were all issued by Continental.
The 1987 album Flying Beagle and 1988 album Sevilla Breeze were released by CBS/Sony Records.[1]
Kikuchi composed the music for the 1993 film Yakuza Ladies Revisited 2; her album Beam, released through RCA Records, serves as the film's soundtrack.[1]
In 2002, Kikuchi served as music director and led an orchestra at the 17th National Cultural Festival, held in Tottori Prefecture, performing the song "Furusato - Home in My Soul".[1] In 2005, she performed the song once more at the opening ceremony of the 17th National Lifelong Learning Festival, held in the same prefecture.[1] The same year, she received the 30th Tottori City Cultural Award.[1]
Flashing (1981), Kikuchi's second album was reprinted as a Tower Records exclusive in 2014.[4]
In 2021, Kikuchi and her husband Masatsugu Matsumoto held the "Himiko Kikuchi and Masashi Matsumoto 50th Anniversary Concert in Music" to commemorate the 50th anniversary of both of their musical careers.[5]
In 2024, Flying Beagle and Sevilla Breeze, both albums from the CBS/SONY period were reissued as a Tower Records exclusive in a 2023 remaster. [6]
Personal life
Kikuchi is married to guitarist Masatsugu Matsumoto. She moved to Tottori with him in 1999.[1]
Discography
All albums released under the Continental label were released to streaming services including Spotify and YouTube Music[7] on May 28, 2024, with the albums released under the CBS/Sony Records label following[8] on October 8, 2024.
Studio albums
As leader
- Don't Be Stupid (Continental, 1980)
- Flashing (Continental, 1981)
- All Right (Continental, 1982)
- Woman (Continental, 1983)
- Reverse It (Continental, 1984)
- Shinra Banshou (森羅万象) (Continental, 1985)
- Flying Beagle (CBS/Sony, 1987)
- Sevilla Breeze (CBS/Sony, 1988)
- Beam (RCA, 1993)[9]
As leader, released under different name
- Himiko Kikuchi Big Band - Himiko Kikuchi Big Band Live (Flying Beagle Corporation, 2000)
- Himiko Kikuchi & Yume Festa Gasshoudan - Furusato～Home In My Soul (ふるさと～Home In My Soul) (Flying Beagle Corporation, 2005)
- Himiko Kikuchi Double Quartet - DQ * The Live! (Toei Music Publishing and Flying Beagle Corporation, 2007)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "菊池ひみこ プロフィール" [Profile of Himiko Kikuchi]. FlyingBeagle.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ Liner notes for Montreux Cyclone (1979) by Bingo Miki & the Inner Galaxy Orchestra. "On the evening of July 11, 1979, Bongo Miki and his twenty-five piece Inner Galaxy Orchestra made a historic debut in the western world of jazz at the huge Casino Hall in Montreux, Switzerland as part of "Japan Today" concert during the 1979 Montreux Jazz Festival. [...] Himiko Kikuchi: keyboards [...]"
- ^ "Reviews". Saxophone Journal. Vol. 9. 1982. pp. 45–46.
- ^ "タワレコ限定復刻！菊池ひみこ＆DEAD END withアーニー・ワッツ『FLASHING』" [Tower Records Exclusive Reprint! Himiko Kikuchi & DEAD END with Ernie Watts "FLASHING"]. Tower Records (in Japanese). June 24, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ^ "12/15(水)「菊池ひみこ・松本正嗣音楽生活50周年記念コンサート」のお知らせ" [Announcement of "Himiko Kikuchi & Masashi Matsumoto 50th Anniversary Musical Career Concert" on Wednesday, December 15th]. Tottori JAZZ (in Japanese). December 4, 2021. Archived from the original on December 12, 2025.
- ^ "菊池ひみこ｜〈タワーレコード限定〉『Flying Beagle』『Sevilla Breeze』アルバム2作品が最新2023年リマスター仕様にて復刻 - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE" [Himiko Kikuchi | Tower Records Exclusive: Two Albums, "Flying Beagle" and "Sevilla Breeze," Reissued in the Latest 2023 Remaster]. Tower Records (in Japanese). December 27, 2023. Archived from the original on 2025-07-10. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Himiko Kikuchi - Topic". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ "Himiko Kikuchi - Topic". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ "Himiko Kikuchi". Discogs. Retrieved 2023-04-30.