Since her debut recording for Norgran Records in 1954, jazz pianist, composer, arranger and big band leader Toshiko Akiyoshi has recorded continually – almost exclusively as a leader of small jazz combos and of her big bands – averaging one studio album release per year for well over 50 years. She has also recorded several live albums in solo, small combo and big band settings, including three big band concert videos. Akiyoshi has released multiple albums for Victor / BMG, Nippon Columbia, Toshiba, Discomate, Nippon Crown and other labels in Japan and for Norgran / Verve, RCA, Columbia / Sony, Concord and her own Ascent label in the US. All of her big band recordings and nearly all of her other early works have been re-issued on CDs over the years.
Toshiko Akiyoshi recordings as leader or co-leader
Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus At Birdland - The Complete Session - BAT 5-8 (Italy, unissued), and other unauthorized releases of material from the 1961/62 Birdland recordings known as the "Boris Rose tapes"[6]
In the main chronological listing, years shown may reflect the album's original recording session year(s), which is typically, but not always, the album's initial release year. More specific release date info can be found in the infobox on each album's article page.
This discography includes some albums that were released only in Japan and others that were released only in the USA or Europe.
Occasionally, a single recording, released in two different regions and/or at different times by different record labels, will have two different titles. Example: Toshiko's Piano and Amazing Toshiko Akiyoshi.
Different record labels have occasionally re-used the same or similar title for different Akiyoshi albums. Examples: Long Yellow Road (3), Sumie (2), Time Stream (2), etc.
Some Akiyoshi albums, when exported from Japan, may be identified in listings only by the Japanese version of the (original English) title. For example SHIO GIN NAN = Salted Gingko Nuts and HANA KAI TAN = Tales of a Courtesan.
In some listings of Akiyoshi albums exported from Japan, a recording may be identified by the re-translation into English of the recording's common Japanese title, which may not match the original English album title. For example, the big band album European Memoirs, in Japan is typically referred to as simply MEMOWARU (メモワール = Japanese phonetic spelling of the word "Memoir"). When re-translated back into English, this title sometimes becomes Memoir (without the preceding "European") or Memory (i.e. the English translation of the English (French) word "Memoir(e)").
