- Kimiko Kasai is a Japanese Jazz singer and the wife of composer and songwriter, Richard Rudolf
- The Japanese singer started her singing career in Jazz clubs after moving to Tokyo at the age of 16
- She quit singing in the 1980s and went into Jewelry Design, From which she retired in 2016
Kimiko Kasai, a Japanese Jazz singer, is famous for being the wife of a Jewish-American composer cum songwriter, Richard Rudolf. The singer started her career as a solo singer in Jazz clubs in Japan. She is famous for singing alongside the Yuzuru Sera, a Japanese trio in the 1960s.
The Japanese singer was previously married to Japanese Jazz Drummer, Hiroshi Murakami, before getting married to her current husband. She left her singing career in the 1980s and focused on Jewelry design.
Is Kimiko Kasai Still Married to Richard Rudolf?
Jazz singer Kimiko Kasai married composer, Richard Rudolf in October 1990, 11 years after the death of his wife and mother of his two children, Minnie Ripperton. Minnie died of breast cancer on July 31, 1979, at the age of 31.
After getting married to Richard, Kimiko assumed the position of a stepmother to his two children, Marc and Maya, whom he had with his late wife, Minnie. Although there is no information on whether the couple went on to have any children, they are still married and shuffle between Santa Monica and Tokyo.
Fascinating Facts About Japanese Singer, Kimiko Kasai
1. The Singer Took Interest in Music from a Very Young Age
Kimiko was born in Kyoto, Japan on December 15, 1945. The singer loved to sing but never thought she had the talent. She took interest in Jazz music from the very tender age of 13 after she listened to a song on the radio by Chris Connor titled All About Ronnie. She described the feeling as an electric shock.
2. She Started her Career singing in Clubs
Kimiko moved to Tokyo at the age of 16 and started performing in Jazz clubs as a “nameless club singer”. Soon after, people began to come to these clubs just to hear her sing. One of these clubs was a Jazz club called JUNK, in Ginza.
Her performance in these Jazz clubs was what she called her “first live performance”. She recalled how musicians, including American musicians, would gather in clubs and listen to different artist sing. The atmosphere was filled with love and desire for Jazz.
3. Her First Album was a Live Recording
Kimiko’s First album was a live recording of a concert held at Yamaha Hall. She described it as a nerve-wracking experience. However, that wasn’t her first live recording.
Her very first live recording was before she got a recording contract. She worked with a Pianist, Yuzuru Sera on the Bossa Nova Album.
Some of her songs include Just friends (1968), Umbrella (1972), Round and Round (1978), Love Connection (1982), and My One and Only Love (1986)
4. Kimiko Kasai has worked with Internationally Famous Names in Jazz
The Singer has worked with internationally famous names in Jazz including Pianist Mal Waldron, arranger Gil Evans, Producer Teo Maccro, Saxophonists Lee Konitz and Stan Getz, and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa.
Her work with arranger, Gil Evans was her first work after she signed with CBS/Sony in 1972. According to her, the work with him was super intense but things were much simpler then.
5. The Jazz Singer Quit her Singing Career in the 80s
Kimiko quit her career after 30 years of being a jazz singer She stopped singing in the 1980s. According to her, she trained every day for the 30 years of her career as a singer and she felt the need to make a change.
She added that in Japan there is a saying which translates to “A Beautiful End”. This saying encouraged her to walk away while the applause was still loud, which was why she put an end to her music career.
6. She was Previously Married to a Drummer
Before getting married to Richard Rudolf, Kimiko was married to a Japanese Jazz drummer, Hiroshi Murakami. He was born in 1948, in Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroshi started his career in the entertainment industry as a percussion player while he was a teenager. He played for different bands and Jazz musicians, one of which was Kimiko, who later became his wife.
There is no information on where, when, or how they got married. However, they were no longer together at the time she got married to Richard Rudolf.
See Also: Brodie Ryan: 5 Things To Know About Nathan Buckley’s Girlfriend
7. The Retired Jazz Singer is into Jewelry Design
After leaving the music scene, Kimiko took interest in Jewelry making. She was intrigued by the creative process and went into it full-time. Even though she didn’t have any knowledge about Jewelry making and design at the time, she was attracted to the process. However, she stopped in 2016.
Having quit music and Jewelry design, Kimiko is aging gracefully alongside her husband Richard Rudolf. The Japanese singer is not the first singer to retire from music due to one issue or another. others who have towed the same path include Graciela Beltran, Sarah Maria Taylor, and El Komander.
