Primary Instrument: Piano
Nobu Stowe (Nobuyoshi Suto) was born in Maebashi, Gumma, Japan. He started taking piano lessons at age 3 and composition at age 6. Stowe moved to the US to study Music (composition) and Psychology at the University of California, at Berkeley. He then moved to Chicago to pursue graduate studies at the University of Chicago. After receiving Ph.D. in Psychology, he moved to Baltimore to work as a ‘drug researcher’ for National Institute of Health, and currently conducts researches at University of Maryland. In Baltimore, Stowe formed the post-fusion unit TRIO RICOCHET. In less than a year since its formation, TRIO RICOCHET appeared at the top venues in the East Coast including Blue Note N.Y., The Knitting Factory, The 55 Bar and An die Musik.
Besides TRIO RICOCHET, Stowe leads and co-leads various projects exploring and blending ‘total-improvisation’ (a la Keith Jarrett) and ‘free-improvisation’. These include solo, duos with Lee Pembleton, Vytis Nivinskas, Alan Munshower , and Honyo Ohte, and various projects with the top improvisers, Dave Ballou, Blaise Siwula, Dom Minasi, Bern Nix, Ross Bonadonna, Ray Sage, John McLellan and Daniel Barbiero as well as the tabla master Badal Roy. Stowe is the pianist for “Renaissance Trio” lead by the renowned Italian percussionist/composer, Andrea Centazzo, and the clarinet legend, Perry Robinson.
Stowe has recently formed a “total-improvisation unit” with the Italian multi-reed man Achille Succi and the drum legend Barry Altschul. This unit is being managed by Coco Bucci and is availbe for world-wide booking.
Stowe has released 5 albums as leader/co-leader: BROOKLYN MOMENTS and NEW YORK MOMENTS on Konnex (Germany), THE SOUL IN THE MIST on Ictus (USA/Italy), HOMMAGE AN KLAUS KINSKI, AN DIE MUSIK, and CONFUSION BLEUE on Soul Note. Stowe has produced all of his own releases plus a recent session featuring Borah Bergman, Ray Sage, Perry Robinson and Steve Swell.
Stowe has been featured on CODA (Canada), Cuadernos de Jazz (Spain), Toma Jazz (Spain), Jazz.Pt (Portugal), Jazz Colo(u)rs (Italy), Jazz & Tzaz (Greece), and Jazz Tokyo (Japan).
Stowe has won two performance grants from Hirshhorn Museum & The Sculpture Garden of Smithonian Institute.
Stowe regularly publishes columns and interviews (including ones with Keith Jarrett, Michel Legrand, Gary Peacock, Bill Frisell, Marilyn Crispell, Martial Solal et al.) at JAZZ TOKYO, the influential web/mobile-zine in Japan.
““An die Musik finds pianist Nobu Stowe interacting joyously with highly supportive bandmates Badal Roy and Alan Munshower in a program filled with melodic and rhythmic invention of the highest order.” James Hale - DOWN BEAT/CODA/THE BILLBOARD ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ & BLUES
“While Stowe's a formidable composer, the artist's free=fpr, creative juices are wonderrously focused and engaginly infectious.” Glenn Astarita - JAZZREVIEW.COM/EJAZZNEWS.COM
“Although jazz is improvised music, few performers place more trust in the inspiration of the moment than pianist Nobu Stowe.” Ted Gioia - JAZZ.COM
“Stowe interacts with his instrument ceaselessly implementing his cognizance of its capacity to tell stories, no matter how abstract, no matter how intertwined with tunefulness” Lyn Horton - ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“Nobu Stowe is a disciple of fellow pianist Keith Jarrett's method of “total improvisation”•which means “not only to experiment with 'sound textures' but also to spontaneously create 'songs' (melodies with tonal harmonies).” To Stowe, the term “inside” means not only to play within a tonality, but also to create recognizable melodic structures, while “outside” implies the absence of those qualities.” Budd Kopman - ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“An impressive academic record or professional activities outside the jazz realm shouldn't be enough to warrent ousized attention... But when a musician combines significan scholastic achievement and a handful of interesting recordings, it's hard not to take notice. Enter Nobu Stowe, a psychologist named Nobuyoshi Suto who's doing post-doctoral drug research at the U.S. National Insttitutes of Health in Baltimore... A Keith Jarrett desciple from Japan...” James Hale - CODA (Canada)
“Nobu Stowe is nothing short of a polymath: jazz pianist, psychologist who studies drug addiction at National Institute of Health (USA), and journalist.” Pachi Tapiz - TOMA JAZZ (Spain)
“A gifted new arrival, pianist Nobu Stowe...part of the interest of Stowe’a work is that he’s finding fresh ways to play with familiar voices.” Stuart Broomer - SIGNAL TO NOISE
“Stowe's contributions in particular are stunning in terms of flawless execution as he bridges the worlds of Cecil Taylor and Franz Liszt with no sign of pretense” Marc Medwin - CADENCE
“Stowe is an excellent, lyrical player who constructs - and then carefully examines - motivic figures and delicate chordal strcutures. There's lots of heat and heart in equal measure.” Jason Bivins - CADENCE
“One comes away impressed by...Stowe’s versatility and constant creativity...” Scott Yanow - LA JAZZ SCENE
“...as the music to listener may generate something more than a conventional response. Any music can and may do this, but the music of Stowe, Pembleton, and the others attempts to take that response to another level, another place. Ultimately, the music is in the eye of the beholder” Art Lange
BROOKLYN MOMENTS [Total-Improvisation] KONNEX
2006
with Blaise Siwula (reeds) & Ray Sage (drs)
NEW YORK MOMENTS [Total-Improvisation] KONNEX
2007
with Blaise Siwula (reeds), Dom Minasi (g) & Ray Sage (drs)
HOMMAGE AN KLAUS KINSKI [Total-Improvisation on Sonic Canvas] SOUL NOTE
2007
with Lee Pembleton (sound), Perry Robinson (cl), Blaise Siwula (reeds), John McLellan (drs) & Ross Bonadonna (g/reeds)
AN DIE MUSIK [Total-Improvisation] SOUL NOTE
2008
with Alan Munshower (ds) & Badal Roy (tabla)
CONFUSION BLEUE [Total-Improvisation] SOUL NOTE
2010
with Lee Pembleton (sound), Ross Bonadonna (g/as), Tyler Goodwin (ds) & Ray Sage (drs)
As A Side Musician
THE SOUL IN THE MIST
Andrea Centazzo/Perry Robinson/Nobu Stowe ICTUS
2007
with Andrea Centazzo (per/sampling) & Perry Robinson (cl)
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