1. MONDAY MICHIRU BIO
Born of Japanese and Italian-American ancestry, Monday is quick to reject the "hah-fu" ("half")
label favored by the Japanese for those of mixed heritage, instead suggesting "double." "'Half'
sounds like you're half a human being," she quips, "and I'm proud to be a genesis of two great
cultures."
Monday Michiru, so named to reflect both heritages, is also the genesis of renowned musicians,
jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano, as well as stepfather Lew
Tabackin (also jazz saxophonist and flautist). While she showed natural talent playing flute from
a young age, studying classically at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy on scholarship
through the school and the Armstrong Flute Association, her inspiration in music caught fire with
singing and later in composition. "I love classical music and still dabble on the flute, but for me
music is a medium to express what I'm about, and I feel that I have a more modern perspective to
music and life," she explains.
It was in 1987 that Monday was scouted by Japanese movie director, Shinji Somai, to debut in
the lead role as an opera singer in his movie “Hikaru Onna” (“Luminous Woman”). Somai was
renowned to pick up unknown talent and throttle them to stardom, and the film did not
disappoint, garnering Monday Best New Actress awards through the Japan Academy, Kinema
Junpo, and the Yokohama Film Festival. Catapulted unexpectedly into her newly found career as
an actress, opportunities continued to expand for Monday through movies, stage theatre and
television, as well as in other fields such as hosting her own radio programs (J-Wave, FM Tokyo,
etc.), modeling for major commercial ads (Kohdansha, Yubinchokin, NTT, Four Roses, etc.),
appearing on variety TV shows as a “personality," and journalism with steady columns in the
Tokyo Journal and other publications such as Switch, Bar-f-Out, etc. Monday notes, "I knew I
was super lucky with all these interesting opportunities, but as great as it all was, I felt like a fish
out of water being away from music."
Frustrated by her inability to break into the music and recording industry in Japan, Monday fed
her hunger for music by haunting record and CD shops. What started as a desire to stay in the
loop of U.S. releases turned to a fascination over the selection of imported musics from other
countries such as the U.K., Brazil, France, Jamaica, etc. "I've always been into music outside the
mainstream, especially groove heavy music, but I couldn't believe how much stuff there were
that I didn't know about and from cultures and genres I'd never explored before." Monday's
expanding vinyl/CD collection and knowledge eventually earned her license to select the music
played on her radio shows and later led to DJing in clubs, as well as laid the foundation for her
own multi-genre inspired music.
Finally, in 1991, Virgin Records opened its doors in Japan, and amongst their first releases
included Monday's debut solo album entitled "Mangetsu," released under her then stage name,
Michiru Akiyoshi. "I didn't want to be pegged as an artist of a certain genre, so went a little
schizo with the variety of musical styles," Monday readily admits. Amongst the tracks is
"Wagamama" in which she tries her hand at rapping, enlisting then little known Krush Posse,
with DJ Krush providing the beats and MC Muro as her rap counterpart. "I convinced Virgin to
press up 500 copies of the track to pass around to DJs to try and get an underground buzz going,"
she says. While the album and track never blew up, the latter provided a seed that helped plant

2. Monday's placement in the burgeoning Japanese acid jazz movement, starting with the "Jap Hip
Jazz" compilation CD and later with her involvements with United Future Organization, DJ
Krush and Mondo Grosso.
By 1993, Monday steadily began recording and releasing albums in Japan, expanding later to
Europe, Australia, South America and eventually to the U.S., both as a soloist and as a featured
singer/writer, collaborating with groups and artists such as Kyoto Jazz Massive, Basement Jaxx,
UA, Masters At Work, Joe Clausell, Lisa Ono, Da Lata, and many others. More recent
collaborations include m-flo, Jazztronik, Shinichi Osawa, Soulfeenix, P'taah, Jephte Guillaume,
Louie Vega, Steal Vybe, etc. Remixes of her tracks by Masters At Work, Zero DB, Jazztronik,
Mondo Grosso, Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick, Blaze, Phil Asher, DJ Kawasaki and many others
have made Monday a favored artist on the dance floors worldwide. She has also written,
produced and remixed tracks for artists such as Mondo Grosso, bird, Wyolica, Soul Source
Productions, Grand Gallery Records, etc., as well as going on board as a vocal producer for
artists such as bird, Double, Eri Nobuchika, Mink, etc. While Monday's name has become
synonymous with the 90s Japanese underground scene, even earning her the title as "acid jazz
diva," she is quick to rebuke such labeling. "I'm proud to have been a part of and maybe even
been one of the pioneers of that scene, but I hope and believe I'm continuing to evolve musically
and developing my own style," she reflects. One only needs to explore her vast collection of
works to hear the musical development over the years in which she has crossed over and beyond
the scope of club music to a style that is undeniably hers; Monday is the rare female
singer/songwriter who also produces her own works.
Monday has appeared in numerous music festivals and clubs worldwide as a solo artist,
including the Blue Note Clubs in New York and throughout Japan (2002-2014), Brasil
SummerFest in NYC (2014), Billboard Clubs in Osaka and Tokyo (2009-13), Toyang Art
Festival and Taichung Jazz Festival in Taiwan (2013), Java Jazz Festival (2013), Sapporo Jazz
Festival (2011-12), JakJazz (2006-07), Long Island WinterFest Music On the Vine (2010-14), the
Newport Jazz Festival in Madarao (1999), the historical Bohemian Caverns in D.C. (2008-09),
Greater Tokyo Music Festival at Honmonji, Tokyo (2003 & 2006), the Okayama Jazz Festival
(2003), The Baltic Jazz Festival (1999), North Sea Jazz Festival (1997), Montreux Jazz Festival
(1997), Stuttgart Jazz Festival (1997), The Phoenix Festival (1996), Beppu Jazz Festival (1995),
etc.
While she has won countless favorable reviews over the years for her numerous releases largely
in Japan, Asia and Europe, Monday's 2012 recording, "Soulception" (Adventure Music), is the
first to catch the attention of the American jazz and latin media winning many accolades. That
same year, she won American fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar's "Fabulous At Every Age"
award in the 40s category, and also got signed to a two year contract to be the face of Indonesian
make-up brand PAC as their "brand ambassador." In 2014, she was cast for Toshiba’s Regza TV
promo video, performing onscreen with her band at the Tokyo Blue Note Club.
Monday currently resides in New York, and continues to record and tour with her own group as
well as collaborating with other artists. Her most recent release is “Brasilified Nights,” a remix
album off the material from her 2013 “Brasilified" project produced by Simone Giuliani, with
remixes by Louie Vega (of “Zanzibar” which is already causing a buzz internationally), Zero db,

3. Yukihiro Fukutomi, 4Mula to name some of the collaborators. Following a successful duet tour
last Fall with her mother, legendary pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi, they just wrapped up recording
“Jazz Conversations: The Other Side of Monday Michiru” to be released through Victor Japan in
July, 2015.
Monday is plotting her next musical adventure.
www.mondaymichiru.com
www.facebook.com/mondaymichirumusic