Casiopea
Casiopea (カシオペア, Kashiopea, derived from the name of the constellation Cassiopeia), now known in its fourth iteration as Casiopea-P4, is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, drummer Tohru "Rika" Suzuki, and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya and drummer Takashi Sasaki (ja) joined, replacing Koike and Suzuki. They recorded their debut album Casiopea (1979) with guest appearances by American jazz musicians Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, and David Sanborn. In 1980, drummer Akira Jimbo joined the band. Casiopea has released over 40 albums in Japan and around the world.
Casiopea/Casiopea-P4 | |
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Left to right (the band's 6th lineup): Issei Noro, Yoshihiro Naruse, Kiyomi Otaka, and Akira Jimbo | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
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| Years active | 1976–2006, 2012–present |
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| Members | Issei Noro Kiyomi Otaka (ja) Yoshihiro Naruse (ja) Yoshinori Imai |
| Past members | Hidehiko Koike Tohru "Rika" Suzuki Minoru Mukaiya Tetsuo Sakurai Takashi Sasaki (ja) Masaaki Hiyama Noriaki Kumagai (ja) Akira Jimbo |
| Website | casiopea |
Starting from 2012, they formed Casiopea 3rd as a spin-off from the original, featuring Kiyomi Otaka on keyboards and returning members, Issei Noro, Akira Jimbo, and Yoshihiro Naruse.
On July 1, 2022, Casiopea announced that Yoshinori Imai would be their new drummer after Akira Jimbo left Casiopea 3rd, and they would be rebranded as Casiopea-P4.