As a singer, Mami received “Japan’s Best Jazz Vocalist” award in 1995, then in 1996 she began working with CEO of DB Entertainment, Dennis Bradford from the Jeff Lorber Fusion. Mami and Dennis formed the group, “Solid Ground” and Mami was the designated director of music for the group. They released the first CD entitled, “Attitude” in 2001 and much of the material was used for commercials on Japan TV stations as well as a theme song for the popular radio station “Bay FM” for five years. Mami went on to produced music for the movie, “Take the A Train” and “Someday” which garner her “Best Movie Score” awarded in 2003. She then began work with the video game company, “Gast” which produced games on PlayStation two and three. Mami’s diversity lead her to work with the popular theme park, “Sesame Street” located in Japan where she produced all the musical for the shows within the park.
Her work with Masabumi Akikawa produced “A Thousand Winds” with co-arranger Masabumi Akikawa she arranged and performed this piece, which sold a million and was a huge hit in Japan and maintained the number one spot for two years.
By 2010 she released three jazz CDs from Cab Records which included, “Again” “Mami’s Swingin’ Christmas” and started to perform with the “Blue Coats Orchestra” where she produced and released the new “Big Band” CD and the hit from that CD “It Don’t Mean A Thing”. By 2011 Gast game company produced her CD and DVD “Cadena” which was featured on PlayStation three. Then in 2012 her second solo release entitled, “Hanashirube”. By 2013 she released the song “Kimie” for the disaster area’s people and had begun doing charitable work for the disaster relief programs in Japan.
She has produces radio shows on “Bay FM” for five years and shows for “Nack 5 Miki’s Ongakukai” for one year and has her own show “Mami’s Golden Hour on “Edogawa FM”. Her CDs include: “Again” “Smile” “Mami’s Swingin’ Christmas” “Cadena” Hanashirube” “Loving You” “Attitude” “It Don’t Mean a Thing” “Kimie” and “Ashiato”. Mami has also released a book entitled, “Utau Gijyutu” translated, “Technology to Sing” and remains a driving force in the music industry throughout her native Japan.
Mami Horie
Song Writer/Pianist/Singer/Arranger
Mami was born in Kochi Shikoku Island, Japan. She began singing and playing music at the age of three. Coming from a musically talented family, Mami’s grandfather was a great shakuhachi, which is a Japanese bamboo flute, held vertically when played and a shamisen player which is a traditional Japanese three-stringed lute with a square body, played with a large plectrum. Her mother played the koto which is a Japanese zither about six feet long, with thirteen silk strings passed over small movable bridges. Mami naturally learned to play the koto too, then took an interest in the piano. Mami has been singing and writing her own music ever since. Her first concert performance experience was at the age of four. She started playing jazz piano as a professional by the age of thirteen. This lead her to her first professional contract with Victor Records and Pacific Music Publishing and produced her first release entitled, “Loving You” with the famous fusion group “Prism”. This lead to her performance at the “Body and Soul” jazz venue in Roppongi a suburb of Tokyo Japan where she became the regular singer piano player for two years. During this time, she started the “Cab Record” label with M. Satoh and produced and released fifteen jazz albums with top musicians from Japan and the USA that lead to her a “Best Recording” award.