The Woman Who Sings the Night - 1978, Maki Asakawa and Her Times

The Woman Who Sings the Night - 1978, Maki Asakawa and Her Times

1. the activities of Maki Asakawa (as of 1978)
Maki Asakawa (1942 - 2010) was a Japanese singer-songwriter and solitary artist with a dark and aesthetic worldview. Heavily influenced by jazz, blues, and chanson, she captivated many with her songs of urban darkness and loneliness, debuting in 1969 with the album "The World of Maki Asakawa" and continuing her music with a never-pandering attitude.

In the fall of 1978, she was performing at Tokyo's Kid Ailack Hall (Meidaimae) from September 27 to October 10. At the time, Maki Asakawa had already made a name for herself, but she avoided media exposure, and live performances were her true forum for expression.

The Late 1970s - An Era Ending, An Era Beginning
In the late 1970s, Japan was reeling from the end of its rapid economic growth and the aftermath of the oil shocks. The student movement had come to a complete end, and the streets were filled with an air of lethargy.
Meanwhile, in the world of music, the folk boom had died down and a new trend called new music was emerging. While artists such as Yumi Matsutoya (Yumi Arai), Takuro Yoshida, and Yosui Inoue were achieving commercial success, the underground culture was still alive and well. Maki Asakawa was one of these "night dwellers.

Her music was out of step with the trends of the time, and while based on jazz and blues, it depicted lonely scenes of dimly lit bars and back alleys.

3. music of Maki Asakawa - Whisper in the Dark
In 1978, her music had the following characteristics.

- Poetic sentiment of despair and loneliness: "night," "loneliness," "despair" - her lyrics were always inhabited by stories of a corner of the city.
- Underground aesthetics: Rejecting commercialism, she dared to walk where the light did not shine.
- Jazz and blues influences: Her voice, like Billie Holiday's and Nina Simone's, was characterized by an exhalation of breath.

The 1978 concert was also an important period leading up to the live album "Live" (1979), which would later become her masterpiece. She continued to illuminate the urban darkness through her songs, deepening the worldview of "Blue Spirit Blues" (1972) and "Back Window" (1973), which had already been released.

4. 1978, a solitary bright spot in the music scene
At that time, the music world was experiencing a wave of commercial music, and music was becoming an industry. However, Maki Asakawa did not follow this trend. Her music was music for those living in the margins of the city, and it did not pander to the masses.

Her fan base included many underground cultural figures and those who intersected with the worlds of literature and film. Her world resonated with the poetry of Terayama (Shuji Terayama), the rough-hewn folk of Kan Mikami, and the stories quietly told in the corners of jazz cafes.

5. influences and influencers
Maki Asakawa was strongly influenced by foreign jazz and blues singers such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, while interacting domestically with avant-garde artists such as Shuji Terayama and Kan Mikami. Her style also influenced later artists such as Jun Togawa and UA, and she became a symbol of rebellious and aesthetic music.

6. the end - a voice that wanders the night
In 1978 in Japan, Maki Asakawa's voice echoed in the darkness of live music clubs as the night deepened.
If new music was an urban breeze, her music was a mirror reflecting the dark side of the city.
She sang. She sang of loneliness, of despair, of the coldness of the night.
It was music that had nothing to do with trends, but with people living on the fringes of the city.

And again in the fall of 1978, Maki Asakawa continued to sing to the inhabitants of the night at a small live house in Meidaimae.