Among Japanese musicians, SADAO WATANABE, jazz sax player, may be the most famous in the world. Recently Japanese POP group like X-Japan became international band by the influence of new Japan fans in the world.  Before the new fans era, SADAO WATANABE has been playing great Jazz sax among top level musicians of America or in the world.

Today, I was enjoying Jazz video through YouTube. I found a very interesting live play in it. SADAO WATANABE plays sax with George Benson.

First of all, George Benson was really super guitarist at this CTI time! I really miss his guitar play as he recently doesn’t play much.  In this video, he plays as real Jazz guitar player, not as moder and urban singer. Yes, I really like him with guitar.  Nobody could compete with him if the Jazz soul returns to his mind like this video.  God’s play !

And with that great George Benson, SADAO WATANABE was invited to his concert and played sax solo on the stage with George.  At this concert time ( maybe 1976 ?), Sadao Watanabe was not so famous even in Japan. Surprisingly, he played with American top jazz musicians while the Japanese didn’t have Jazz flavor in mind.

When Jazz became popular in 1980′s as fusion music, Sadao Watanabe’s name started splashing in Japanese media finally. His album, California Shower, made a huge hit, which was far impossible when Jazz was a minor music in Japan. 

Sadao Watanabe took a long time until many Japanese came to know him or Jazz music. His talent was found in the USA first, and he continued his music with them.  If American musicians didn’t find his talent, Japanese music fans could not notice Sadao Watanabe’s real potentiality.

Real tatent ccan found only by the person who has the talent. This is the reality.

By the way, at the first talk, George Benson speaks strange language. It’s not English. What language can he speak ?