Keiko Abe

Long considered one of the finest marimbaists in the world, Keiko Abe is also a composer of note, having contributed a number of pieces to her instrument's standard repertoire. Abe was introduced to the marimba in 1950 by an American missionary group traveling in Japan. Abe attended a performance by the group, in which they played hymns arranged for marimbas; the 12-year-old was inspired by the tonal warmth of the instrument, and undertook to play it herself. She attended Gakugei University in Tokyo from 1960 to 1961, and began playing pop songs in a group called the Xebec Tri...