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Miki Yamanaka
33-year old Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012 and in the past decade has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the leading personalities of her generation on the piano and beyond. Critics laud her “light, expressive touch and solidly crafted, mainstream approach” - Mike Jurkovic (All About Jazz), while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Yamanaka has gained international recognition from her albums as a leader; her most recent and most intimate release, “Stairway to the Stars” (Outside In Music), features Jazz masters Mark Turner and Orlando le Fleming. Additionally, Miki has emerged as a leader of the “New York Scene” via her notable residencies at mainstay West Village sister clubs Smalls and Mezzrow. During the pandemic, she developed a successful in-home live-streaming weekly concert series cleverly titled “Miki’s Mood” where she features a veritable who’s who of NYC talent (including her husband and frequent collaborator - drummer Jimmy Macbride). The series showcases her vast knowledge of Jazz standards and tunes, often featuring themed offerings of various composers from both the Great American Songbook as well as iconic Jazz composers.
As a sideman, Yamanaka has worked with Jazz luminaries such as alto saxophonist Antonio Hart who posits “Miki will be recognized as one of the most exceptional artists of her generation, as she is already one of the most talented and dedicated musicians from Japan.” Other notable bands she currently works in include the Philip Harper Quintet and the Roxy Coss Quintet. One of her most respected mentors on piano and organ (Yamanaka also performs on organ frequently), Larry Goldings, once mused, “If only I could have Miki Yamanaka comp behind me!” - a compliment of the highest order from one master pianist to another. She has a myriad of glowing reviews from her recorded work and the iconic Downbeat Jazz magazine has repeatedly awarded her albums high marks.
On top of her exciting work as a bandleader in New York and abroad, Miki can often be found out and about most nights, where her infectious smile and gregarious nature engender fast friends in every audience she encounters. She has many hobbies, including cooking, knitting, and perhaps most visibly, her penchant for wearing her vast collection of kimonos on her gigs, proudly representing her heritage and culture night after night as she dazzles audiences around the world.
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Miki Yamanaka: Shades of Rainbow
by Jack Bowers
Pianist Miki Yamanaka's working trio (Tyrone Allen, bass; Jimmy Macbride, drums) is very good. Add tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, as she does on Shades of Rainbow, and the results are even better. Besides playing nimble and expressive piano, Japanese-born, New York-based Yamanaka composed and arranged every song on Rainbow, her fifth album as leader. For those who may be inclined to peek inside her head, Yamanaka provides a brief rationale for each tune, from That Ain't Betty" ...
read moreRoxy Coss: Disparate Parts
by Mike Jurkovic
Let's just get thing one out into the open right away: Disparate Parts has plenty of balls to spare. Saxophonist Roxy Coss' acute, teasingly biting tone and rich, no boundaries disposition to composing and jamming has placed her high in the generational echelon of new and challenging players. She willingly and unapologetically blends and blurs the lines to suit any and all missives, and the fourteen fireballs heard loud and clear on Disparate Parts broach nothing less. Commandeering ...
read moreA Posthumous Debut Plus New Releases by Miki Yamanaka, Lena Bloch & Feathery, Brasuka, Teri Roiger and More
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast presents new releases from Miki Yamanaka, Teri Roiger, Lena Bloch & Feathery, new Texas group Brasuka and a posthumous debut recording of Canadian vocalist and educator Shannon Gunn produced by Renee Rosnes with birthday shoutouts to pianists Abelita Mateus, Hyuna Park, Emily Takahashi, trumpeter Pam Fleming, vocalists Melissa Stylianou, Amy Cervini, Lee Wiley, Tania Grubbs and more. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music during this time of pandemic so they ...
read moreMiki Yamanaka: Human Dust Suite
by Mike Jurkovic
Becoming increasingly known for her light, expressive touch, her solidly crafted, mainstream approach, and residencies at New York clubs like Smalls and Mezzrow, Kobe-born, New York-based pianist Miki Yamanaka brings a decisively more leavened gravity and a growing harmonic interest and prowess on vibes to Human Dust Suite, a seasoned follow-up to her widely recognized debut Miki (Cellar Live, 2018). Perhaps toughened up by her work with the ever-evolving Roxy Coss on the saxophonist's exemplary outing Quintet (Posi-Tone ...
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