Results for "Japanese"

Miho Wada

Japanese-born New Zealander Miho Wada leads her pocket-sized jazz orchestra on flute and saxophone, performing her unique style of music described in the media as "Afro-Cuban flute meets J-Pop". Growing up in the seaside town of Miyazaki, Japan and later Christchurch, New Zealand, she seamlessly blends stylish contemporary jazz with her unique pan-pacific flavour. After completing her Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance at the University of Canterbury, she moved to London for further study at the Trinity College of Music. She worked for the National Orchestra of Malta in Valletta for a short time before deciding to challenge her creativity and explore other musical possibilities

Jun Iida

Born: May 15, 1991

Trumpeter, composer, educator, and recording artist Jun Iida (Joon Ee-da) has quickly established himself as a highly sought after musician. A recording and performing artist, Iida has performed extensively throughout the U.S. at notable jazz clubs, theaters, and festivals with his sextet and as a sideman.

Originally from St. Louis, MO, Iida has lived in Seattle, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, and has recently relocated to New York City. Iida has internalized the different styles of music from each region, making his approach to composing and arranging appealing and unexpected with his subtle amalgamation of contemporary jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, and classical music.

Kaori Yamada

Born: December 23, 1971

KAORI YAMADA DRUMMER Jazz drummer Kaori Yamada was born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Pref., Japan. Kaori started to learn the piano at the age of 4 and she graduated from the School of Music, at Takamatsu Junior College, majoring in classical piano. Kaori began to play drums on her own initiative at the age of 14. She was particularly interested in Soul, R&B, and Jazz, music her brother was listening to at the time, and she developed a strong desire to become a professional drummer. From 1991 to 1995, Kaori was based in Hiroshima where she qualified as a drum instructor under the R.C.C. Takeshi Inomata Drum School at YAMAHA Music Shops, Chugoku Region

Mami Matsuura

Born in Japan, Mami Matsuura is a versatile pianist in the NYC area. She is a sought-after performer on various projects in many different styles of music. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in December 2019.

 Mami was selected as a member of the Piano Department Concert and was awarded the Jazz Performance Award while at Berklee. Mami is currently working as Keyboard 1 for CATS North American Tour. She is going to release her first original song in October.

Monday Michiru

Born: August 19

Monday Michiru (full name: Monday Michiru Mariano), so named to reflect her Japanese, Italian and American heritage, is also the genesis of renowned jazz musicians, NEA Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi and cult jazz saxophonist Charlie Mariano, as well as jazz saxophonist-flutist Lew Tabackin who helped raise her. While she showed natural talent playing flute from a young age, studying classically at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy on scholarship, her inspiration in music caught fire with singing, composition and music production. In 1987, 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”)

Yuko Mabuchi

Born: June

YUKO MABUCHI 2024 BIO

In the world of music, there are artists who follow trends and those who create them. Yuko Mabuchi firmly belongs in the latter category. Hailing from Japan, she is currently taking the
global music scene by storm, showcasing her awe-inspiring talent as a pianist while staying true to her roots.

At the tender age of four, Yuko found her rhythm in the world of classical piano in her hometown of Fukui. However, she didn’t stay confined to just one genre. Growing up, she was drawn towards American R&B, Hip-Hop, and Blues, but it was jazz that struck a chord deep within her.
In fact, jazz captivated her so much that she dedicated her post-high school years to studying jazz piano. This early initiation into a multitude of genres fueled her music into an exotic mix,
making it as unique as the artist herself.

Junichiro Mataga

Born: August 20, 1982

Junichiro Mataga is a Jazz Pianist, Jazz Composer, Arranger, and Educator based in New York City. He grew up in Niigata, Japan. He began playing piano when at six years old. He moved to Tokyo after graduating high school and began studying Jazz Piano in the University Jazz Club. He graduated from The University of Electro-Communications with a major in Master of Engineering and then worked as a Sound and Vibration Researcher at the Central Research Lab of NEC Corporation. In parallel, he was active in the Jazz scene in Tokyo, Japan. He performed in his leader band, the big band “Shiny Stockings”, the gospel band “7season”, and the jazz quartet “Beyond the Cinema”

Hanna Inui

Born: February 29

Hanna Inui is a Japanese pianist, composer, and improviser. Hanna holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA 2020/Jazz Piano) from School of Jazz at The New School. Hanna’s music molds influences from classical, Japanese pop music, and Black American music, and has two distinctive characters; one being the punk, and the other being the healer. Hanna is currently residing in Brooklyn, NY, exploring solo piano performance, composition, electronics, texts, sound art, and movement designs, searching ways music can exist in this society where every (recorded) music is available for (almost) anyone to hear.

Yuto Mitomi

Born: January 26, 1984

Yuto Mitomi is a Saxophonist, Flutist, Clarinetist, Jazz Composer, Arranger, and Educator based in New York City. He grew up in Yokohama, Japan. He began playing piano when at three years old and started studying saxophone in junior high school. He moved to Tokyo after graduating high school and was a widely known young jazz saxophonist in the Tokyo area. He was very active in the Jazz community and performed at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Fuchu Jazz Festival, and other Jazz festivals held in various cities. He also graduated from the University of Electro-Communications with a major in mechanical engineering and then worked at Toyota as a mechanical engineer

KEITO NAKANO

Born: March 13, 1989

Keito is quickly becoming a prominent figure within the music industry. His natural talent as a drummer is gaining attention, especially in the Japan music scene. Born and raised in Osaka, Japan, Nakano began to play the drums when he was in high school at the age of 16. He was playing rock music in several music clubs with friends at that time. After he finished the high school, Nakano entered the Osaka University of Arts, majoring in Faculty of Arts of Visual Concept Planning Department which had been his another interest as an art form. Through his undergraduate study, Nakano had learned a lot about the film art technique including photography, screenplay, production, editing and so on