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Yoshi Waki

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Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Yoshi began to play jazz bass at age of 20. After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, he joined the National Tour Company of Fosse, a Tony Awarded musical show and traveled around the States before settling in New York City, where he quicky established himself as a sought-after sideman. Yoshi have worked with Art Hirahara, Artie Shaw Orchestra, Ayako Shirasaki, Bill Mobley, Bill Ware, Chihiro Yamanaka, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Dan Zanes and Friends, Danny Walsh, Deborah Harry, Elena Moon Park, Frank Vignola, Harry Whitaker, John Di Martino, Marion Cowings, Paquito D’Rivera, Victor Jones, Peter Leitch’s New Life Orchestra, Randy Johnston, Richard Stoltzman, Ron Affif, Sam Dillon, Saul Rubin, Shunzo Ohno, Tokiko Kato, Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra, William Galison, and others.

Among the numerous recordings he did, Catch that Train! (Dan Zanes and Friends) won the 49th Annual Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children, and After Hours (Chihiro Yamanaka) won the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award for Jazz Album of the Year.

Awards

Album of the Year, Jazz Japan Award 2018 (Chihiro Yamanaka: Utopia, 2018). Best Popular Recording (domestic), the 27th Music Pen Club Award (Chihiro Yamanaka: Live at Blue Note Tokyo, 2014). Album of the Year, Jazz Japan Award 2016 (Chihiro Yamanaka: Guilty Pleasure, 2016). Best Popular Recording (domestic), the 27th Music Pen Club Award (Chihiro Yamanaka: Live at Blue Note Tokyo, 2014). Album of the Year, Jazz Japan Award 2011 (Chihiro Yamanaka: Reminiscense, 2011). Jazz Album of the Year, the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Award (Chihiro Yamanaka: After Hours, 2008). Theme Show, the 23th Annual Bistro Awards (Greg Purnhagen, Leonard Peters and David Cook: Babalu-cy! – The Art of Desi Arnaz, 2008). Best Musical Album for Children, the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (Dan Zanes and Friends: Catch that Train!, 2007).


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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Vortex

Wise Cat Records
2022

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New Life

Jazz House
2021

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The Russ Spiegel Jazz...

RuzzTone Music
2007

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