［Description］

The world-renowned jazz pianist, Mal Waldron, who was once the accompanist for Billie Holiday, found a beloved jazz singer in Okinawa named Sumiko Yoseyama. Her album, released in 2005 after a 20-year hiatus, is finally being released on vinyl after 19 years.

The album Interlude is an record which preserves the history of her own shop"Interlude", which she has maintained since the reversion of Okinawa to Japan in 1972. A stellar lineup of musicians, including Naruyoshi Kikuchi (sax), Hiroshi Minami (p), Daiki Yasukawa(b), ZAK (engineer), and Pardon Kimura (producer), gathered from Tokyo to record all the tracks at "Interlude." This historical masterpiece captures the depth of her bluesy singing, now revived on vinyl.

Sumiko Yoseyama

Born in 1940 on the Yaeyama Kohamajima Island, she took to the stage at 16, performing with Bob Hope and the Les Brown Orchestra the following year in 1957. Until the year of Okinawa's reversion to the mainland, she performed at clubs on U.S. military bases with a full orchestra backing her. In 1972, she opened the jazz spot "Interlude" in Naha with her husband, the saxophonist Waganaha Fumimasa. 

Alongside performances at the club, she received acclaim from jazz critics and notable figures as her mainland performances increased. In 1983, her debut album Introducing was released, garnering widespread attention not only in Okinawa but across Japan. The following year, she collaborated with Billy Holiday's pianist Mal Waldron on "With Mal", and in 1985, she released the album, DUO. 

After a 20-year hiatus, she released the album, Interlude, in 2005. In March 2006, she appeared on the series TV program of TBS, "Jonetsu Tairiku". In 2007, she appeared in director Yuji Nakae's film Longing, and that same year, she also appeared in director Yoshimitsu Morita's film Southbound. She expanded her activities and showcased her unique style even in the world of film.