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Yoichi Uzeki
Yoichi Uzeki (Pianist, Composer, Arranger and Railfan)
About Me
Yoichi Uzeki is a New York–based jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and rail photographer originally from Tokyo, Japan. ………. A versatile artist with a cross-disciplinary voice, he leads the Yoichi Uzeki Trio and has collaborated with a wide range of internationally acclaimed musicians. His selected collaborators include Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Oliver Lake, Norman Connors, Michael Henderson, Terell Stafford, Tim Warfield Jr., Craig Harris, Vanessa Rubin, Carla Cook, Bobby Porcelli, Cecil Bridgewater, Najee, Dexter Wansel, The Last Poets and Wolfgang Puschnig. ………. He is among the very few Asian pianists who had the opportunity to record with Ornette Coleman, an experience that deeply shaped his musical identity. ……… Uzeki earned his B.A. in Jazz Studies from Temple University and his M.M. in Jazz Performance from Queens College, CUNY. His compositional and arranging work spans small ensembles to large jazz orchestras, and his writing has been performed in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. He has contributed articles and analyses to Jazz Japan and has served as a guest lecturer and ensemble coach. ………. As an educator, Uzeki has taught as Adjunct Faculty at York College, CUNY, where he instructed courses in jazz piano, improvisation, and ensemble playing. He also taught for one semester at Boston University, coaching young musicians at one of the most respected summer programs in the U.S. ………. Beyond his musical career, Uzeki is active as a rail photographer, gaining recognition for work that captures the visual rhythm of metropolitan life. His photography has been featured by NYC Tourism, presented by the Center for Railroad Photography and Art, and shared by major transit agencies including the MTA, Metro-North Railroad, and Long Island Rail Road. In Japan, his photographs have received several awards in regional and national competitions. ………. Now based in New York City, Uzeki continues to explore the intersection of music, visual art, and urban culture through his performances, compositions, teaching, and photography.
