Being Guided by the Light – Mamiko Watanabe

Being Guided by the Light is the fifth studio album by Japanese pianist and composer Mamiko Watanabe and her first release on Jojo Records, released on February 23, 2024.

Recorded as a trio with Santi Debriano on double bass and Billy Hart on drums, the album combines original compositions by Watanabe with works by John Hicks, Jimmy Rowles, Tadd Dameron, Henry Clay Work, and McCoy Tyner, as well as “Nigeria,” composed by Debriano.

The repertoire connects different generations of jazz through an approach rooted in interplay, swing, and collective improvisation. Watanabe’s original compositions “Being Guided by the Light” and “Atomic Space” place her musical search at the conceptual center of the recording.