KATAYAMA HIROAKI,
THE STRONGEST VOICE OF JAZZ IN JAPAN.
An excellent thick-toned tenor, Katayama Hiroaki
sounded quite at home in free jazz, hard bop and
funk jazz settings.
Born in Chiba, 1951. His parents gave him an alto
saxophone when he was high-school student and 3
years later Katayama switched to tenor.
He rose prominece playing with Oki Itaru Groupe in
his collage days. And performed with Midorikawa
Keiki and Fujikawa Yoshiaki as Now Music Ensemble.
In the end-'70s, he started recording as an important
member of Seikatsu-Koujou-Iinkai Orchestra with
Umezu Kazutoki, Harada Yoriyuki, Hayakawa Takeharu
and others.
After Seikatsu-Koujou-Iinkai Orchestra, in early-'80s,
he formed Doctor Umezu Band (DUB) with Umezu,
Hayakawa and Takashi Kikuchi. DUB had recorded seven
albums and toured in Europe three times.
Under his own name, he released "The Equator" in 1983,
"Drei Sherry" (same as Studio Wee CD "99" reissued
in 1999) in 1987, "So-Ka-Na" in 1992, "Instant Groove"
in 1998, "fiktion" (by session groupe with Ishiwatari
Akihiro, Fuwa Daisuke and Toyozumi Yoshisaburo) in 1999.
His chief association is groupe CO2 with Hayashi Eiichi,
Kato Takayuki, Hayakawa Takeharu and Yoshigaki Yasuhiro.
CO2's album was released in1998 and 2000.
With another groupe De-Ga-Show, Katayama released three
albums in 1994, 1996 and 1998.
Katayama toured around Europe in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002
as the first tenorist of Shibusashirazu Orchestra.
by Wakiya Hiroaki, 2002