PRESS RELEASE
22/1/ 2015
Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra Pre-Concert
A Jazz concert by 6 Japanese musicians
6 Japanese musicians hold a jazz concert towards formation
of Jazz Orchestra by young musicians from ASEAN countries
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam presents Jazz Concert by
six Japanese musicians in Hanoi.
The Japan Foundation plans to organize “Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra” by young musicians
from ASEAN countries and Japan in autumn of 2015. On the occasion the leaders of this
project and young Japanese musicians come to Vietnam to hold the audition to select
Vietnamese musicians who will take part in “Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra”, they will
perform a Jazz concert.
This concert will be what we call “Pre-Concert for Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra”. 6 Japanese
musicians (Piano, Saxophone, 2 Trombones, Electric Base, Drums) presents the jazz which
they want to create with
young ASEAN musicians.
They will perform not
only standard jazz but
also
their
original
pieces.
Asian
Youth
Jazz
Orchestra will consists
of young musicians from
ASEAN countries and
Japan.
From ASEAN countries,
16 musicians will be
selected by auditions.
Their part will be
Trumpet, Saxophone, Clarinet, Piano and so on. After having training camp in Japan
coming summer, they will travel and perform in ASEAN countries and Japan next autumn.
For inquiries and interviews with the musicians, please contact at:
Ms. Huong (04-3944-7419 ext: 106) / Mr. Kawai (04-3944-7419 ext: 109)
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam
TEL 04 3944 7419
www.facebook.com/japanfoundation.vietnam
www.jpf.org.vn
JAZZ Concert
Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra Pre-Concert
Date & Time:
Tuesday 3 February 2015
[Open] 19:30 [Start] 20:00
Venue:
Youth Theatre
11 Ngo Thi Nham, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Free ticket distribution:
[From 14:00 on Tuesday 27 January onward]
The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam
27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
[Opening hours] 09:00 – 18:00 (Sundays closed)
* Please refrain from taking children under 6 years old.
Musicians’ Profile
Osamu Matsumoto [Composer, Arranger, Trombone]
One of the representatives of Japanese jazz, Matsumoto studied the
trombone under Kurt Putzke, Tatsunori Sakamoto and others at the
Musashino Academia Musicae. He participated in prominent big
bands such as the “Mori Toshio & the Blue Coats Orchestra,” “Nobuo
Hara & the Sharps & Flats” and “Tokyo Union.” As a solo player, he
has performed with jazz musicians such as Yosuke Yamashita (piano),
Kazumi Watanabe (guitar), Akira Sakata (sax) and Takeshi Shibuya
(piano), and has also participated in the Japan tour for George
Russell (Lydian Chromatic Concept) and Natalie Cole (vocal) as a
solist and lead player. In addition to playing the trombone in
Watanabe’s “Romanesque” and Yamashita’s “Field of Grooves,”
Matsumoto also displayed his skills as a conductor and arranger for
these albums. Currently, he is a member of the “Takeshi Shibuya Orchestra” and “EM
Band” among other groups.
As his own album, Matsumoto released “WAFU” (2002) and
“AOKI-SORA-NI-MIMODAETE” (2005), but has continued to work with many musicians
as a studio musician, arranger, music director for the theaters and film soundtracks.
For the “Yosuke Yamashita Special Big Band”, he arranged classic masterpieces such as
“Rhapsody in Blue” (G. Gershwin), “Bolero” (M. Ravel) and “Pictures at an Exhibition” (M.
Mussorgsky) from an innovative approach, perfectly adapting them into big band music,
for which he received high recognition.
Beside his performance activities, he also composes original pieces and arrangements,
teaches the jazz trombone, jazz solfeggio, and jazz ensemble, and conducts lectures in
music arrangement at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, actively engaging in the
training of younger generations.
Mayuko Katakura [Composor, Arranger, Piano]
Katakura was born in Sendai, Japan. Being the daughter of
professional jazz musicians, she grew up listening to jazz and playing
the piano from the age of five. Although she mostly studied classical
music throughout her childhood, she began studying jazz piano after
entering Senzoku Gakuen Junior College in Japan. Katakura was
later awarded a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music,
leading her to move to Boston in 2002. During her enrollement in
Berklee, Katakura performed with renowned musicians such as Jerry
Bergonzi, Dick Oatts, Dave Santoro, Cristian Scott and many more.
In 2004, she performed at the Blue Note New York as a member of
the Berklee Scholarship Jazz Group. After graduating Berklee, she
moved to New York and was awarded a full scholarship to enter the
Juilliard School where she studied with Kenny Barron. This provided her with many
opportunities to perform with musicians such as Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Carl
Allen, Ben Wolf, Benny Green, Donald Harrison, Victor Goines and many more. In 2006,
she won first prize in the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Pianist Competition, and her
trio ensemble was then invited to perform in the same jazz festival the following year.
Katakura was also the semi-finalist in the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano
Competition, and later returned to Japan in 2008. Currently, Katakura works as a
professional jazz pianist and also teaches at Senzoku Gakuen University.
Yuri Kishimoto [Saxophone, Flute]
Born in 1992, Kyoto. Yuri Kishimoto started out on the saxophone at
the brass band club in a junior high school at the age of 13. While she
went the US to study language at the age of 17, won the 2nd seat in
the Kentucky Camberland Youth University and experienced a
concert tour in Kentucky. In 2011, she was admitted to the Senzoku
Gakuen College of Music, converted to jazz and studied saxophone
under Bob Zung. Presently, besides her own combo band, gon
quintet, she displays her ability as a concertmistress in the Get Jazz
Orchestra as well as performs in jazz clubs in Tokyo and some
musicales.
Mariko Maeda [Trombone]
Mariko Maeda started out on the piano at the age of 3 and trombone
at the age of 10.
While in the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, studied under
Osamu Matsumoto, Tomonao Hara and Yuki Arimasa. In 2012, she
launched big band named “Mariko Hirose and Purple Haze” which
was incorporated rock, jazz or western classical music into their
music and create unique sound, and also participated in “the Alpaca
Jazz Orchestra” that young female musicians took the lead, under the
concept of clearly and enjoyable stage from child to adult, they have
performed in the concerts for schools and municipalities, and has
extended the width of her activities.
Nohara Okamoto [Electric Bass]
Nohara Okamoto started out on the bass in earnest while in a high
school. Presently, she studies in the Senzoku Gakuen College of
Music. In 2012, she participated in the Taipei International Jazz
Festival. In 2014, she formed her own leader band “Gemini Ludens”
consists of piano, bass and vocal and is challenging to a wide range of
musical genres such as originals, pops and jazz standard.
Fumihiro Ibuki [Drums]
Born in 1990, Hokkaido. Graduated from the Senzoku Gakuen
College of Music. Fumihiro Ibuki studied under Tappi Iwase (drs),
Yoichi Okabe (per) and Yoshihiko Katori (vib/arr). From 2011 to
2012, he participated in “the Get Jazz Orchestra”, an all-star big band
of college. While in college, he performed with predominant
musicians such as Jun Kajiwara (gt) and Akira Wada (gt). In 2011, he
won the grand prize at a drum section in the contest sponsored by
Rittor Music. At the same year, he formed twin guitar’s funk-blues
band “the MEGANE BROTHERS” and a genre-less music group
“ORDINARY PURPOSE PLUG AND INVITATION”. Presently,
besides his own bands, he performs with various musicians widely
regardless of music genres.