Happy birthday to another famous Yoko!

Happy birthday to another famous Yoko!

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By Adel Gorgy, ( Long Island ) - Adel Gorgy's Archives, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11820456

By Adel Gorgy, ( Long Island ) – Adel Gorgy’s Archives, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11820456

Today we’re reaching outside the jazz world to pay tribute to one of Japan’s most famous women: artist and musician and activist Yoko Ono. If all you know about her is that she was married to John Lennon, there’s a lot more to know.

First of all, she and John Lennon didn’t meet because she was a Beatles groupie or anything like that. They met because he went to an exhibit of her art in London. Once they got together, they immediately used their fame to protest what they saw as an unjust war in Vietnam.

Yoko appeared on many of Lennon’s songs. After his death, she continued to be an ambassador for his music, and more importantly for the message of peace in his writing.

Yoko Ono’s artistic career has also continued to flourish, most recently with major retrospectives in Germany, Denmark and Spain.

Visit her website, imaginepeace.com to learn more about her amazing story.

From all of us here at YokoMiwa.com, happy 83rd birthday to Yoko Ono! Imagine!

8 Responses

  1. Jos de Groot says:

    Wonderful gesture from you to Yoko! I’ll gonna read all from Yoko.
    Happy birth day Yoko Ono !

    When is your birthday I wonder, I’ll note it in my agenda as soon as I know?

    Jos

  2. Scott M. says:

    Though the identities of women/Japanese, etc. are all secondary (putting aside for a moment the heavy hand of history), here is a link to a wonderful tribute to another visionary artist of the same categories from the npr site: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/16/466930497/toshiko-akiyoshis-jazz-orchestra-brought-the-club-to-concert-halls
    Toshiko Akyoshi, now 86, continues to be musical force of nature. That tribute includes links to video performances both very early and very recent in her career. The early performance is of her piano playing, hidden to some degree by her accomplishments as a composer and band leader. We are lucky to have in our community at large you, Ms. YM, a member of that same inspiring stream.

    • Yoko Miwa says:

      I’ve been a lifelong fan of Toshiko! I was the second Japanese female in history to be hired to work in Berklee’s piano department, Toshiko was the first 🙂 Thank you for sharing the link Scott!

  3. Scott M. says:

    Ahh, great. Glad to know you are the worthy successor, and just glad you are hanging around here. You share a birthday with a relative of mine (not musical) and Sun Ra (Herman Sonny Blount, 1914, Birmingham).

  4. Tina and Daniel Percoco says:

    We were introduced to you music through CHRISTINA BAI and we saw you perform at the Charles Regatta bar and loved your show.
    Happy Birthday! Now you’re old enough to have a drink at a bar! Hee hee!?

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