Transcultural affinity: Akiko Aoki forges smooth link between Japan and Massachusetts

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Akiko Aoki is active on the New England jazz scene.

A Japanese singer with a solid inclination to interpret the American songbook displays her well-integrated versions with an adept small band in "Pure Imagination."

Akiko Aoki studied at the Berklee College in Boston after coming to the United States, went back to her native Japan for a while, then returned to the U.S. permanently. She married, raised a family, and helped her husband manage a restaurant, where she also sang. 

A widow since 2017, she has resumed focusing on her musical career. In this new release, she displays a charming manner, with the novelty of a Japanese accent being no obstacle to her putting across jazz and popular standards convincingly.

On a couple of tunes, she duets compatibly with her daughter, Mari, notably "Moondance," the Van Morrison hit, and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." Typically, there's an unforced flow to the pair's phrasing that retains a lively edge. 

In the vocal solos that predominate, supported mainly by a rhythm section of Tim Ray (piano), Marshall Wood (bass), and Tommy Campbell (drums), she makes a conspicuous vibrato work well for her to vary her tone at phrase ends. 

I found her not quite comfortable with an uptempo samba, the Hendricks/Jobim "No More Blues," but thoroughly at ease when the underlying Brazilian rhythm is slow-paced, as in "Jardin d'hiver." She is a creditable ballad singer at any underlying tempo. Her occasional, laid-back scatting is well-judged and applied with style.

Among the special guests is notably reedman Ken Peplowski, who weighs in on five songs. He lends special star quality with his tenor solo on "Caravan." Peggy Lee's "I Love Being Here With You" has a fine arrangement by guest guitarist John Baboian, who teaches at Aoki's American alma mater. The title tune, an import from the Anthony Newley songbook, features the mellow trumpet of Berklee colleague Greg Hopkins. Collegiality seems a major element of this singer's skills, and it's really essential for anyone who makes his/her mark as a jazz singer.

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