The small amount of information presented here has been collected from various interviews and websites that I have found. If you know of anything I haven't said or have wrong, please email me the corrections. There is a small amount of Japanese text used, so if you have trouble reading some spots, your computer might not have Japanese text support installed. Full name: Monday Michiru Mariano In Japanese: Monday 満ちる Born: August 19, 1963 Blood Type: AB Mother: Toshiko Akiyoshi (秋吉敏子) Father: Charlie Mariano Nationality: American and Japanese Occupation: Musician, songwriter, producer Born and raised in the United States. Moved to Japan in 1987. Her parents were both famous jazz musicians. As an actress, she sometimes used the name Michiru Akiyoshi (秋吉満ちる) - this was not her choice, but rather the producer's attempt to make her seem more Japanese. Monday is blood type AB - according to the book You Are Your Blood Type by Toshitaka Nomi, this means that she is a natural leader, a great organizer, diplomatic, rational and imaginative. Michiru recently gave birth to a daughter (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). You can find pictures/info in her newer albums
Born Michiru Mariano, Monday is the daughter of esteemed jazz musicians Toshiko Akiyoshi and Charlie Mariano (her stepfather is the excellent reedman Lew Tabackin). She grew up in the United States, and even had a cameo appearance as a vocalist at age 12 on one of her mother’s albums 'Insights', plus she turns up in an early-1980s video documentary about Toshiko 'Jazz is My Native Language'. However, it wasn’t until after Monday moved to Japan that she began to find a unique musical perspective of her own. She took a career risk and hooked up with Japan’s underrated acid-jazz scene. Her hard-to-find 1991 debut album ‘Mangetsu’ is an ambitious mixture of styles, sounding influenced by Kate Bush one moment while confidently rapping over a funky DJ Krush track the next. 1,000 DREAMS is an outstanding acoustic jazz ballad in which Monday is backed by her mother and step-father. Soon these influences began to flow together into a more individualistic entity. By 1994, Monday was collaborating with the likes of Shinichi Osawa from Mondo Grosso, who was a prominent figure on Japan’s acid-jazz scene. She is heard most prominently on the group’s ‘European Expedition’ CD and DVD, and also has significant exposure on 'Mg4'.
However, it was on her solo albums that her talents reached their fullest potential. On the surface, 1994’s 'Maiden Japan' seems to reflect the sound of hip-hop and acid-jazz, with scratching, samples, and some jazz on top. Yet Monday’s assertive musical personality elevates the music into something special. Her vocals are smooth and emotive, while her songwriting is full of substance (both in the lyrics and in the captivating melodies). She can rap with the best of them (BLACK & WHITE), yet she avoids standard hip-hop themes in favor of a critique of elements of contemporary Japanese society...as much Gil Scott-Heron as Queen Latifah. Yet it is Monday’s singing that dominates the album. The following album 'Jazz Brat' was an even greater aesthetic success, retaining a edgy curiosity about contemporary pop-culture musical idioms while finding a jazz-oriented context for them. Latin elements also surface, ones which would become more prominent several albums later. Two albums of remixes and non-album tracks from the above two respective albums ('Groovement' and 'Adoption Agency') will also be of interest for fans, although I recommend that newcomers start with the original albums.
With 1996’s 'Delicious Poison' Monday keeps the flavor of her last recordings while moving boldly toward live instrumentation. In effect, the album is a Monday Michiru/Mondo Grosso collaboration. Amazingly, even though this is her third album in three years, the level of songwriting seems to be getting stronger...her well of song material seems to replenish promptly. It is Monday’s prolific creativity that enable her albums to retain their interest even after dozens of hearings. Her consistently provocative musical vision takes her outside of your standard acid-jazz fare. Even such renowned groups as Sade, The Brand New Heavies and yes, even Mondo Grosso can’t quite compare. Over thenext year Monday switched labels to Polydor. Her previous label Kitty issued a fine anthology (‘Look Into The Past, 1991-1997’) which is currently out-of-print. Monday started off with her new label by issuing ‘Mermaid,’ a mini-album highlighted by a hit single in Japan (FAR TO GO) and a unique drums-n-bass flavored take on Minnie Riperton’s LOVIN’ YOU. The more ambitious full-length CD 'Double Image' soon followed. Overall, the themes seemed a bit more introspective than usual, yet probably her most effervescent tune YOU MAKE ME was also included. Although still working with the likes of Shinichi Osawa and DJ Krush, Monday was discovering new talents as well...not to mention utilizing yet another parent (her dad Charlie Mariano adds some outstandingly deep saxophone to CRUEL 2 BE KIND). The remix collection 'Premivmix' veers all over the map, from an acoustic live track to a remarkable pair of Incognito YELLOW BIRD remixes that surpasses even the original version. Basement Jaxx also rework one track, and Monday repaid the favor by singing ALWAYS BE THERE on their debut CD 'Remedy'. As with Miles Davis, Monday Michiru’s carrer seems to be in the process of developing different periods. In 1999, Monday lessened her reliance on studio technology and headed into a largely acoustic, Latin-based sound for ‘Optimista,’ Again, Monday came up with a fresh batch of memorable tunes, including one of my favorites, the spiritually uplifting PLAY IT BY EAR. Shinichi Osawa returned to provide an outstanding remix on 'Tomorrows Sunrise', but in general Monday was working with a new set of musicians. The album was a hit in Japan, selling over 100,000 copies. In the year 2000 Monday issued four singles to coincide with each of the four seasons of the year. I recommend that potential buyers skip the individual singles and opt for the two-disc set '4 Seasons', a remarkably diverse collection that includes all vocal tracks from the four singles, plus other new tracks and remixes. Note that if you’re not impressed with my description of Monday’s earlier music (specifically her attempts to place a jazz perspective into the eye of the popular culture hurricane), you may find ‘4 Seasons’ more to your liking, with a mostly acoustic-oriented yet still eclectic jazz sound maintained throughout. Even so, several of the remixes would fit right in with her last musical period.
In 2001 Monday appeared to put her career on hold to start a family. To plug the gap, Polydor issued two anthologies that nicely complement each other: 'Selections 1997-2000' and 'Recollections'. The former mainly contains tracks from ‘Optimista’ and ‘4 Seasons,’ while the latter focuses on non-album cuts and remixes (making the latter a preferred option for those who plan to pick up the individual albums). Perhaps the best compliment one can make about an artist is that you don’t know what is coming up next...and at the same time it’s difficult to patiently wait for whatever that next step will be. By the way, if you like Monday Michiru I recommend the Japanese singer Bird ('Bird', 'Mind Travel', and the live album 'Live Tour 2000 (+1 Bonus Track)'). Although Monday sings in English and Bird’s music is in Japanese, their musical approach has a lot in common, not the least of which is the presence of Shinichi Osawa.
from http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/2IQIT6PG7YE9A/002-6671998-1235257