Song of Solitude Resonating in the Night - September 27-October 10, 1978, Maki Asakawa and her era

Song of Solitude Resonating in the Night - September 27-October 10, 1978, Maki Asakawa and her era

Maki Asakawa (1942-2010) was a singer-songwriter who sang music about urban loneliness and decadence, influenced by jazz and blues.From September 27 to October 10, 1978, she performed at Kid Ailack Hall in Tokyo, avoiding media exposure while He continued to express himself mainly through live performances while avoiding media exposure. At the time, Japan was suffering from a sense of stagnation in society due to the end of its rapid economic growth and the recession caused by the oil shocks.

In the music scene, the folk boom subsided and new music emerged, but Maki Asakawa continued to sing songs about the night and loneliness without pandering to trends. Her style was similar to that of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, and in Japan she resonated with underground culture leaders such as Shuji Terayama and Hiroshi Mikami, and later influenced Jun Togawa and UA.

Her music is songs for people living in a corner of the city, depicting a world at night where light does not reach. Although her style had nothing to do with fashion, her deep poetic sentiment and unique voice resonated with the sense of social stagnation of the time, and continued to attract night dwellers. Her songs were not mere music, but rather a way of reaching out to those who were lonely, a poem that resonated in the urban night.