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{{Nihongo|”’Casiopea”’ |カシオペア|Kashiopea|derived from the name of the constellation [[Cassiopeia (constellation)|Cassiopeia]]}} 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:佐々木隆 (ミュージシャン)|ja]]) replaced Koike and Suzuki respectively. They recorded their debut album ”[[Casiopea (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.<ref name=”gonsiopea”>{{#invoke:Cite|web|title=CASIOPEA – Discography|script-title=ko:카시오페아 – 앨범|url=http://gonsiopea.com/artist/?a_idx=3|access-date=2024-06-10|website=GONSIOPEA}}</ref>

{{Nihongo|”’Casiopea”’ |カシオペア|Kashiopea}} is a Japanese [[jazz fusion]] band in 1976 by guitarist [[Issei Noro]] bassist [[Tetsuo Sakurai]], , [[ ]] . their debut with , drummer [[Akira Jimbo]] in and the

During this first period the lineup released more than a dozen albums before Sakurai and Jimbo left the band amid disputes over concurrent band memberships. In 1990, bassist {{Ill|Yoshihiro Naruse|ja|鳴瀬喜博}} and drummer Masaaki Hiyama joined, resulting in a second era marked by multiple drummer changes, with Jimbo returning as a supporting member in 1997. Noro suspended all band activities in 2006, leading to a six-year hiatus.

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.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=http://www.casiopea.co.jp/|title=CASIOPEA official web|date=20 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513030054/http://www.casiopea.co.jp/|archive-date=13 May 2012}}</ref>

In 2012, the band resumed activities without Minoru Mukaiya rejoining and Kiyomi Otaka replacing him on keyboards. Renamed ”’Casiopea 3rd”’ for its third period, the group recorded its first album in eight years. After Jimbo left again in 2022, he was replaced by drummer Yoshinori Imai and the band entered its fourth period as ”’Casiopea‑P4”’. Otaka left in 2025 and was replaced by keyboardist Jun Abe, and the band reverted to its original name.

On July 1, 2022, the band announced that Yoshinori Imai would be their new drummer after Akira Jimbo left Casiopea 3rd, and they would be rebranded as ”’Casiopea-P4”’.<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=http://www.casiopea.co.jp|title=Top of casiopea web|date=1 July 2022|website=CASIOPEA Official Web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702005720/http://www.casiopea.co.jp/|archive-date=2 July 2022}}</ref>

On December 1, 2024 the band announced that Kiyomi Otaka would be leaving.<ref name=”oshirase”>{{#invoke:Cite|web|title=Information of casiopea web |script-title=ja:ご報告 of casiopea web |url=https://www.casiopea.co.jp/news/oshirase.html |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=casiopea web |language=ja-JP}}</ref> Otaka did her last performance with the band on December 15, this performance was later broadcast on television by Japanese [[pay television]] channel [[Wowow|WOWOW]].<ref>{{#invoke:Cite|web|title=CASIOPEA-P4 TOUR 2024 “RIGHT NOW” Kiyomi FINAL |url=https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/203603 |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=WOWOW |language=ja-jp}}</ref>

On February 19, 2025 the band announced that Jun Abe would be succeeding Kiyomi Otaka as their keyboardist and that they were being rebranded as ”’Casiopea”’, their original name.<ref name=”spna20250220″>{{#invoke:Cite|web|url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2025/02/20/kiji/20250220s00041000099000c.html |title=46th year of debut, Jun Abe joins Issei Noro’s band “Casiopea”. “I’ve admired this band since I was a teenager… I’m so happy” |script-title=ja:デビュー46年　野呂一生らのバンド「カシオペア」に安部潤が加入「10代の頃から憧れのバンド…嬉しい」 |website=SponichiAnnex |date=2025-02-20 |access-date=2025-02-20 |language=ja}}</ref>

==History==

==History==

Japanese jazz fusion band

This article is about the Japanese fusion band. For other uses, see Cassiopeia.

Casiopea (カシオペア, Kashiopea) is a Japanese jazz fusion band. Formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, the group reached the finals of that year’s EastWest amateur competition and, after lineup changes that added keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya, won Best Group the following year. Casiopea made their major‑label debut with the self‑titled album in 1979, with drummer Akira Jimbo joining in 1980 and the band’s popularity growing.

During this first period the lineup released more than a dozen albums before Sakurai and Jimbo left the band amid disputes over concurrent band memberships. In 1990, bassist Yoshihiro Naruse [ja] and drummer Masaaki Hiyama joined, resulting in a second era marked by multiple drummer changes, with Jimbo returning as a supporting member in 1997. Noro suspended all band activities in 2006, leading to a six-year hiatus.

In 2012, the band resumed activities without Minoru Mukaiya rejoining and Kiyomi Otaka replacing him on keyboards. Renamed Casiopea 3rd for its third period, the group recorded its first album in eight years. After Jimbo left again in 2022, he was replaced by drummer Yoshinori Imai and the band entered its fourth period as Casiopea‑P4. Otaka left in 2025 and was replaced by keyboardist Jun Abe, and the band reverted to its original name.

History

1976–1989: First period

1974–1976: Early activities

The band was formed attempted to emulate Beck, Bogert & Appice (pictured in 1973), before transitioning to an instrumental sound.

In 1974, guitarist Issei Noro, a third-year student at Tokyo Metropolitan Tamagawa High School, and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, a second-year at Keio Shiki Senior High School, met through a mutual friend and quickly became friends. The three began rehearsing together at a studio in Tokyo, aiming to emulate Beck, Bogert & Appice with a hard rock and funk-based sound. Occasionally, they included a vocalist in their band, but the core members, Noro and Sakurai, were flexible in their musical approach, causing the band’s direction to gradually shift towards instrumental music with jazz elements.[1]

1976–1980: Debut and first albums

Even though the band had been formed, the only two consistent members were Noro and Sakurai, leading them to use different names for each live show they performed. However, during an interview with a magazine, they were informed that the interview could not be published unless they had an official band name. Upon returning home, Noro consulted his mother, who suggested they choose a constellation. After opening a book on constellations, he selected Cassiopeia. However, when the band decided to adopt the name, the English version differed from the formal romanization. After being renamed Casiopea, Noro and Sakurai were joined by keyboardist Hidehiko Koike and drummer Tohru “Rika” Suzuki.[1] In 1976, the band entered the amateur band contest EastWest, sponsored by the Yamaha Corporation. In that contest, Noro won the Best Guitarist award, and the band advanced to the finals. However, after their first contest, Koike and Suzuki left the band to pursue commitments with other bands.

To replace Koike, Noro recruited Minoru Mukaiya, who was studying at Nemun Music Academy (now Yamaha Conservatory of Music) who was connected through a mutual friend.[2][3] To fill the drummer position left by Suzuki, the band held auditions, resulting in the recruitment of Takashi Sasaki [ja].[1] They entered EastWest the following year, where the band won the Best Group award and Noro again won Best Guitarist.[4] Yoshihiro Naruse [ja], who would later join the band, was a judge during the contest and praised them, even asking for an encore despite it being a competition.[5] As a result of their popularity, their demo tape caught the attention of Alfa Records, leading to Casiopea’s debut in 1979.[6]

Casiopea debuted with their self-titled album on May 25, 1979. Noro was able to participate in the recording and production, with American recording engineer Al Schmitt, who had just arrived in Japan, serving as the engineer. Composer Jun Fukamachi, who was with Alfa and working on the album, went to New York City for the recording of Jun Fukamachi & The New York All Stars Live. Through this connection, they were able to have the Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn contribute to the album.[1]

Later that same year, on 15 November 1979, they released their first single, “I Love New York,” which was used by Japan Airlines for their New York campaign at the request of Alfa Records. They followed this with their second album, Super Flight, released on 25 November 1979, showcasing strong performances in both the single and the album. Their signature songs “Take Me” and “Asayake” were introduced for the first time in this album. However, due to differences in musical direction, Takashi Sasaki decided to leave the band, although he stayed on during the ensuing tour as they met drummer Akira Jimbo, a university student at Keio University.[1]

1990–2006: Second period

With only Issei Noro and Minoru Mukaiya remaining from the original Casiopea lineup, bassist Yoshihiro Naruse replaced Sakurai and drummer Masaaki Hiyama replaced Jimbo. Casiopea then signed to Pioneer.[7] In August 1992, Hiyama left the band due to health issues, and drummer Noriaki Kumagai replaced him later that year, first appearing in the album Dramatic in 1993, and the band returned to the Alfa label that year,[8] then to Pony Canyon.[9] In 1997, Jimbo returned as a part-time member, recording more albums and writing compositions. This would become Casiopea’s longest running line-up in the band’s history (guitarist Issei Noro, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya, and bassist Yoshihiro Naruse, with drummers Masaaki Hiyama from 1990 to 1992, Noriaki Kumagai from 1993 to 1996, and the returning Akira Jimbo from 1997 to 2006).

In 2000, the band again signed to Pioneer, who would release their 20th Anniversary album (featuring Noro, Mukaiya, Jimbo and Naruse, with former members consisting of Kumagai, Koike, and Sakurai).[10] Four years later Pioneer changed its name to Geneon Entertainment.[11] On August 1, 2006, Issei Noro, the group’s leader, decided to freeze all activities of the band until further notice.[12][13]

2012–2022: Return and third period (Casiopea 3rd)

Casiopea 3rd members (Naruse, Noro, and Otaka) promoting the album A・So・Bo in 2015.

Although all the members were pursuing their own paths and Noro believed that the disbandment marked the end of Casiopea, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami inspired him to restart the band to uplift people’s spirits through music in the wake of the disaster.[14] In April 2012, it was announced that Casiopea would be active again, although Minoru Mukaiya had left the band and was replaced by keyboardist Kiyomi Otaka. Alongside Noro and Otaka, bassist Yoshihiro Naruse and drummer Akira Jimbo rejoined the band; Jimbo was credited as a supporting member but treated as a full member.[15] The band adopted the name Casiopea 3rd and also announced that they would perform for the first time since their hiatus at Tokyo Jazz 2012 and would be releasing their first best-of album.[16]

hroughout the 2010s, Casiopea 3rd resumed releasing albums, releasing Ta・Ma・Te・Box in 2013, their first in eight years, which reached number 18 on the Oricon Albums Chart and topped the jazz & classical chart.[17] They released their second album, A・So・Bo, two years later.[18] They would continue with I・Bu・Ki in 2016 and A・Ka・Ri in 2018.[15] On 15 April 2020, Casiopea released the Blu-ray/DVD Celebrate 40th for their 40th anniversary, later embarking on the Casiopea 3rd Heartful Tour in October while also broadcasting online.[19][20] In February 2022, Akira Jimbo announced that he would leave Casiopea 3rd; his final appearances were on the April and May 2022 Billboard Tour.[21]

2022–2025: Fourth period (Casiopea-P4)

In July 2022, Issei Noro announced that drummer Yoshinori Imai would replace Akira Jimbo and the band would be renamed from Casiopea 3rd to Casiopea-P4.[22] They released their 35th album, New Topics, soon after, with Imai’s younger age motivating the band to record for the first time in three years.[23] They released their 36th album, Right Now, in 2024 to mark the band’s 45th anniversary, with all members contributing compositions to the album, including an unreleased piece.[24][25] In December 2024, prior to performances in Osaka in Tokyo, the band announced that they would be holding their final concert with Kiyomi Otaka as their keyboardist, as she chose to leave the band.[26] A month prior to the final concert, the band had contacted pianist Jun Abe [ja] to see if he wanted to join as a replacement, which he accepted prior to the announcement.[27]

2025–present: Fifth period

In May 2025, Casiopea, now using their original first name, introduced Jun Abe as a member during a series of performances.[27][28] Noro said in an interview with Daily Sports that he reverted to his original name after Otaka’s decision to leave and to refresh the band’s image. They released their 37th album, True Blue, under their original name on 27 August 2025.[29]

Musical style and influences

Upon the release of their self-titled album, the band was assigned the catchphrase “thrills, speed, super technique,” which later became synonymous with their musicality and playing style. As the years progressed, Noro began incorporating more musicality into the band’s pieces and reduced the emphasis on technique compared to their early years, largely due to the introduction of accurate music programs on computers.[30] According to The Nikkei, although many bands competed for attention during the fusion boom in Japan, Casiopea managed to secure lasting popularity through their technique and dynamic performances.[31] The band does not record demos, as Noro writes the charts and the members rehearse for a few weeks before recording. Final ideas are developed on the day of recording, as Noro felt demos constrained the music and preferred ideas made during group performance.[31]

Band members

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Ikegami, Naoshi (14 August 2022). “【Part1】野呂一生が語るCASIOPEAのアルファ・イヤーズ”. Otonano (in Japanese).
  2. ^ Matsumura, Nobuhito (16 March 2016). “音楽プロデューサー・向谷実（３）カシオペア結成、インストの先駆けに”. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese).
  3. ^ “元カシオペアの向谷実さん　音楽と鉄道が人生の両輪”. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 6 June 2025.
  4. ^ “鉄道音楽家、ミュージシャン 向谷実さん 線路と音楽に人生のせて(3)”. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 4 June 2025.
  5. ^ Yashiro, Takuya; Yamaura, Masahiko (21 October 2019). “第166回 ベーシスト 鳴瀬喜博氏【前半】”. Musicman (in Japanese).
  6. ^ “1/1は日本を代表するフュージョンバンド・カシオペアのリーダー野呂一生の誕生日【大人のMusic Calendar】”. Nippon Broadcasting System News Online (in Japanese). 1 January 2017.
  7. ^ “THE PARTY”. CD (in Japanese). CASIOPEA. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. ^ “DRAMATIC”. CD (in Japanese). CASIOPEA. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  9. ^ “Asian Dreamer”. CD (in Japanese). CASIOPEA. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  10. ^ CASIOPEA. “20th Anniversary Live”. JazzMusicArchives.com. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  11. ^ “MARBLE”. CD (in Japanese). CASIOPEA. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  12. ^ “Casiopea Web News”. CASIOPEA Official Web. August 1, 2006. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  13. ^ “Casiopea”. CyberFusion (in Japanese). 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  14. ^ “カシオペア×インスピリッツ、野呂一生の世界観堪能”. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 23 April 2018.
  15. ^ a b Haru, Kazane. “特集：CASIOPEA 3rd～日本を代表する現在進行系のフュージョン・グループ”. Billboard Japan (in Japanese).
  16. ^ “カシオペアが東京JAZZで6年ぶり活動再開＆向谷実が脱退”. Natalie (in Japanese). April 20, 2012.
  17. ^ “カシオペア、8年ぶりとなるオリジナルアルバム『TA・MA・TE・BOX』がジャズ・クラシック部門で1位を獲得”. Barks [ja] (in Japanese). 27 November 2013.
  18. ^ “カシオペアのスキルフルな演奏を間近で体感するという”アソビ”　4/26、ビルボードライブ東京公演レポート公開！”. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 30 April 2015.
  19. ^ “コロナウイルスに負けるな！ CASIOPEA 3rd野呂一生、ギター講座を配信”. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 10 April 2020.
  20. ^ “＜ライブレポート＞CASIOPEA 3rd、ビルボードライブで行われた【Heartful Tour】最終日を生配信　カシオペアの今と昔を辿るステージ”. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 6 October 2020.
  21. ^ “【Report】2022 Billboard Live Tour「A.J.FINAL」＠Billboard Live東京（d：神保 彰［CASIOPEA 3rd］）”. Rhythm & Drums Magazine (in Japanese). 29 May 2022.
  22. ^ Fukushima, Tsuyoshi (20 November 2022). “イケメン超絶ドラマーが憧れだった伝説の「カシオペア」に新加入「神社の境内で口説かれた」”. Encount (in Japanese).
  23. ^ “カシオペア野呂一生が語る、若い才能が加入した4期の化学反応とCASIOPEA-P4の新作『NEW TOPICS』”. Mikiki (in Japanese). 11 October 2022.
  24. ^ “CASIOPEA-P4、ニューアルバム『RIGHT NOW』をリリース”. Barks [ja] (in Japanese). 3 July 2024.
  25. ^ “【インタビュー】CASIOPEA-P4、「新しい作品こそが最高傑作」という揺るがぬミュージシャンシップ”. Barks [ja] (in Japanese). 31 July 2024.
  26. ^ “CASIOPEA：デビュー45周年ツアーファイナル東京公演が来年3月放送・配信　WOWOWが3カ月連続特集を発表　1988年のワールドツアー映像も”. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). 15 December 2024.
  27. ^ a b “【インタビュー】再生するCASIOPEA、安部潤と刻む『TRUE BLUE』の航海”. Barks Music News [ja] (in Japanese). 26 August 2025.
  28. ^ “デビュー46年　野呂一生らのバンド「カシオペア」に安部潤が加入「10代の頃から憧れのバンド…嬉しい」”. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 20 February 2025.
  29. ^ “新生ＣＡＳＩＯＰＥＡ・野呂一生　デビュー４６年　新メンバー迎え元の名義に　音色の変化も吉”. Daily Sports (in Japanese). 27 August 2025.
  30. ^ “野呂一生 CASIOPEA 3rd The organization 40th anniversary インタビュー”. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 9 December 2015.
  31. ^ a b “フュージョン界をけん引するカシオペアが40周年”. The Nikkei (in Japanese). 14 August 2019.

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