In the Golden Age of jazz of early 1900s, The St. Regis New York hosted legendary jazz musicians such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington. This rich legacy of music has taken root as a St. Regis tradition and, today, guests at St. Regis Hotels & Resorts around the world can savor inspirational live jazz performances that blend the classical and the modern.
The St. Regis Osaka, too, hosts a diverse array of jazz musicians, from house vocalist Riko Shimatani to invited piano, bass, and tenor saxophone players.
Band Leader
RIKO SHIMATANI, jazz vocalist
Riko Shimatani was born in Osaka, Japan. She learned classical ballet and tap as a child, and counts movies, musicals, and the Takarazuka Revue musical theater troupe among her early influences. In 2000, after meeting the jazz vibraphonist Naoteru Nabeshima, Shimatani began teaching herself to sing, and began performing as a jazz vocalist.
Basing herself in Toronto, Canada, from 2011 Shimatani developed as a vocalist, interspersing performances with visits to Europe and the U.S. Upon returning to Japan in 2013, she became the first Japanese house singer of The St. Regis Osaka.
Shimatani released her debut album in 2014. Two years later, she received the Special Jury Award at the 2016 Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Contest. Shimatani has won acclaim for her richly expressive singing voice.
