穐吉敏子

Toshiko Akiyoshi was born in Manchuria, China, and was considering a career in medicine when her family returned to live in Japan. "Japan was still heavily occupied then, and our resort city of Beppu was flooded with soldiers. One day I happened to pass one of the many dance halls that were set up for the occupation soldiers, and I noticed a sign: 'Pianist wanted'." Toshiko, who had some training as a classical pianist went in, and the manager asked her to start right away.

Toshiko's family wasn't thrilled with the idea, but they finally agreed that she could play until the school year began. "But March came and went," she remembers, "and no one noticed. I just kept playing."