Sadao Watanabe
Watanabe at Expo Zaragoza 2008
Background information
Born	(1933-02-01)1 February 1933 (age 92) Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan
Genres	Jazz,jazz fusion,bossa nova,pop
Occupation	Musician
Instrument(s)	Alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone
Years active	1953–present
Website	www.sadao.com

Sadao Watanabe (渡辺 貞夫,Watanabe Sadao; born 1 February 1933) is a Japanese jazz musician who playsalto saxophone andsopranino saxophone. He is known for hisbossa nova recordings, although his work encompasses many styles, with collaborations from musicians all over the world.^[1]

Watanabe was born on 1 February 1933 inUtsunomiya, Japan. His father, a professional musician, sang and played thebiwa.^[1] Watanabe was attracted to jazz from an early age, in part due to the strong cultural influence stemming from theAmerican post-war presence in Japan.^[2] He learned the clarinet while in high school after convincing his father over the course of six weeks to buy him a second-hand instrument.^[1][2]

In 1951, Watanabe moved toTokyo and began playing thealto saxophone. He started studying the flute in 1953 with Ririko Hayashi from theTokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.^[1] Watanabe joinedToshiko Akiyoshi's Cozy Quartet and began leading the group when Akiyoshi moved to the USA.^[1] By 1958, Watanabe had performed with leading musicians and quartets.^[3][4] In 1961, his first album as a leader, the self-titledSadao Watanabe, was released.^[5]

In 1962, he left Japan to study atBerklee College of Music in Boston.^[4] Studying led Watanabe to a broadened stylistic scope that began to incorporate Brazilian music.^[5] During his time in the USA, he worked withGary McFarland,Chico Hamilton, andGábor Szabó.^[1]

Watanabe returned to Tokyo in 1965.^[6] There, he became the director of the new Yamaha Institute of Popular Music, a school that based its curriculum on Berklee's.^[1] From 1966 onwards, he toured Japan and internationally with his own quartet, playing bop, Brazilian music, jazz-rock, soul, and pop music.^[1][5] He played with theJohn Coltrane quintet in Tokyo while the group was touring Japan in 1966.^[7] By the time Watanabe played at the1970 Newport Jazz Festival, he was a well-known and often highly-regarded jazz performer.^[5]

In 1969, Watanabe began working part time as a radio broadcaster, promoting jazz across Japan. From 1972, his programmeMy Dear Life ran for 20 years. He continued to perform internationally, including performances atMontreux Jazz Festival andNewport Jazz Festival. In 1970, he released his albumRound Trip, featuringChick Corea,Jack DeJohnette, andMiroslav Vitouš.^[8] Watanabe continued performing and recording throughout the 1970s and 1980s, amassing a catalogue of more than 70 albums as leader.^[1]

In addition to his musical career, Watanabe has published six photography books in Japan.^[9]

Watanabe has been in charge of the visiting professor of Jazz course atKunitachi College of Music since 2010.^[10]

Among Watanabe's awards are theOrder of the Rising Sun, theimperial medal of honor for contribution to the arts, and theFumio Nanri award.

• 1995:Berklee College of Music awarded him an honorary doctorate degree for his contributions to music.^[11]
• 2005:Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (勲四等旭日小綬章)^[12]
• 2015:Order of Rio Branco^[12]

• Selected (Elektra, 1988)
• Sadao Watanabe Vocal Collection (Elektra, 1991)
• Sadao Watanabe My Dear Life 50th Anniversary Collection (Verve, 2001)
• Sketches of Nature (Verve, 2005)
• Broadcast Tracks '69–'72 (Victor, 2005)
• Love Songs (Victor, 2018)

• Official website

• 1933 births
• Living people
• 21st-century Japanese saxophonists
• Berklee College of Music alumni
• Japanese jazz musicians
• Japanese jazz saxophonists
• Musicians from Utsunomiya, Tochigi
• Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class

• Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja)
• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• Articles containing Japanese-language text