The Kennedy Center‘s KC Jazz Club hosted a true pioneer Saturday night in 2007 NEA Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi. The 80-year old pianist was first exposed to jazz in her native Japan, first playing the music for American soldiers in the years following World War II. She came to the U.S. in 1956 to study at the Berklee School (now College) of Music, after which she made the rounds playing clubs in New York. Over the past 50+ years, Akiyoshi has not only become a respected player and composer, working with many of the greats, but also was among the first jazz musicians to incorporate Asian influences, and further broke ground as a female bandleader, both with small groups and co-directing a celebrated big band with saxophonist Lew Tabackin.

Saturday night’s early set opened with “Long Yellow Road,” Akiyoshi’s signature tune. With a subtle piano intro that immediately revealed her Japanese roots, she brought in the band with staccato accents, and then the trio settled into an easy going groove over which Akiyoshi began her solo. There were a few technical passages over which she tripped, perhaps signaling that age has taken some of her dexterity. But over the rest of the night, it was clear that she simply needed to warm up before digging into the keys.