Motif

Long after big bands went out of fashion, the pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi somehow assembled and tenaciously sustained a large ensemble, from 1973 to 2003, focussed on her adventurous scores, which skillfully incorporate musical motifs from Japan. Akiyoshi had orchestras that exhibited her husband, Lew Tabackin, as a featured soloist. These orchestras received praise from critics, but unfortunately, they didn’t receive the recognition they deserved. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra is now honoring Akiyoshi in a program where she, along with Tabackin, will be performing her pieces. This is a significant event as Akiyoshi, who is ninety-three years old, will be joining the renowned Wynton Marsalis’s jazz group.
–The New Yorker