Kaoru Abe (阿部薫) (May 3, 1949 - September 9, 1978) was a Japanese free jazz alto saxophonist, who generally played solo. He died young from a drug overdose, and has been romanticized in the Japanese jazz underground. He was married to the author Izumi Suzuki, and was the subject of the film Endless Waltz by the director Koji Wakamatsu. Collaborators included Masayuki Takayanagi, Derek Bailey, Sabu Toyozumi, Aquirax Aida, and Motoharu Yoshizawa. Those said to have been influenced by Abe include Otomo Yoshihide and Masayoshi Urabe.
References
- Yuko Morita (ed.). Abe Kaoru 1949-1978. Tokyo: Bunyusha, 1994 (Japanese)
- Soejima Teruto. Nihon furii jazu shi (日本フリージャズ史, The History of Japanese Free Jazz). Tokyo: Seidosha, 2002 (Japanese)
