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Yutaka Shiina (piano) Bio

Yutaka Shiina is an extremely gifted pianist with a sensitive touch, a rich and profound piano sound, and exceptional compositional ability. These qualities make him an in-demand pianist and a consistent poll winner on the Japanese jazz scene.

He was born on September 23rd, 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Influenced by his father's strong passion for music, he started taking formal classical piano lessons when he was only three years old, . In 1982, he was accepted by Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, and started playing jazz piano professionally around the Tokyo area while still a composition student.
In June 1990, Shiina participated in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's quartet, along with drummer Masahiko Osaka. Adding alto saxophonist Antonio Hart in 1991, this quartet developed into The Jazz Networks, a unit composed of leading young players from both the US and Japan. Shiina became The Jazz Networks' leader on the Japan side. The Jazz Networks released five albums on BMG Japan.
In May 1994, Shiina released his debut album as a leader, "Movin' Forces" (BMG Japan) featuring bassist Reginald Veal. This critically acclaimed album was awarded five stars by Swing Journal, Japan's most authoritative jazz magazine. The recording personnel subsequently conducted a highly successful nationwide tour.
His second album, "Hittin' the Spirit," recorded with Veal and drummer Herlin Riley, was released in October, 1995, and received an award for "Best Album by a New Artist" from Swing Journal. In August, 1996 Shiina travelled to New Orleans to record his third album, "At The Moment," (BMG Japan) with Veal, Riley, and trumpeter Nicholas Payton. In September, he occupied the piano chair of Elvin Jones' JAZZ MACHINE for their European tour, performing in clubs and festivals all around the continent. On returning to Japan, he led a successful two-month CD promotional tour for "At The Moment", with Riley and bassist David Grossman. One of the concerts was selected for nationwide broadcast on NHK FM radio, and won the highest praise.
In December 1997, Shiina performed with Veal and Riley all over Japan and continued touring successfully with new members, drummer Junji Hirose and New York-based bassist Kengo Nakamura, until February 1998. In November 1998, his long awaited fourth album, "United", featuring Christian McBride on bass and Clarence Penn on drums, was released by BMG Japan. The CD release tour with Whitaker and Penn in November and December was highly successful.
In July 1999, Shiina was invited to perform at the "Cultural Capital of Europe, Weimar'99/The Seventh EU Japan Fest International Jazz Festival,"
with Nakamura and Hirose.
In May 2000, he performed with the Cyrus Chestnut Trio in a two-piano concert. In October of that year, Shiina released his fifth album, "Happy To Swing" on BMG Fun House, with a trio including Nakamura and Hirose.
In October 2001, he performed with Veal, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, trumpeter John Swana, tenor saxophonist Tim Armacost, and trombonist Jason Jackson all over Japan, and continued touring throughout the year. In November, he collaborated with Veal and Riley on a trio tour.
In November 2002, he reached new heights with a band including Armacost, bassist Robert Hurst, and Hutchinson. Once again, one of the concerts was broadcast on NHK FM radio and garnered high praise.
In July 2003, he performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the world renowned conductor Myung-Whun Chung, at Tokyo Opera City. Their performance of works by Gershwin met great acclaim from both critics and the general audience. From September to October in the same year, his trio with French drummer Lionel Boccara toured cities in France and Switzerland, where they were welcomed enthusiastically. In December 2003, Shiina led a very successful domestic tour featuring Armacost, Hurst, and drummer Ali Jackson.
In May 2004, Shiina appeared with Boccara at the EU-Japan Friendship Week International Music Festival for Youth in Kagoshima, to help promote international collaboration among musicians in Japan and overseas. In June of that year he travelled to New York to play at the popular Manhattan jazz club Fat Cat, in a special international project led by Armacost. The band included Gene Jackson on drums and Dutch bassist Joris Teepe. In September and October, Shiina led a trio including Boccara on an enthusiastically received tour of Belgium, France, and Switzerland. In October he was invited to join Lew Tabackin's group for a Japan tour. He closed out a tremendously successful 2004 with his annual New York New Generation Tour in November. For this tour, he added trumpeter Riley Mullins, who blended beautifully with Armacost, Whitaker and Hutchinson.
In May and June 2005, Shiina made a long foray into the European jazz scene, leading a trio again featuring Boccara. The trio's outstanding performances were received enthusiastically in Belgium, France, Morocco, Italy and Croatia. In August, he performed for the second time with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Myung-Whun Chung, at Tokyo Opera City. As a result, Shiina began to gain recognition as one of the most successful artists in Japan at blending the worlds of European classical music and jazz. His performance of Gershwin's music met with high praise from critics and listeners alike.
In November Shiina introduced his new group, New World Groove Conversation. The new band featured New Orleans-based drummer Riley, whose authentic beat set the tone for the concerts. The band, also including Mullins, Armacost, and Whitaker, toured all over Japan. Simultaneously, Shiina expanded his educational initiative for school children, including workshops and concerts with junior high and elementary school students.
In June 2006, Shiina performed throughout Japan with a new trio featuring Whitaker and Hutchinson. In November, he led another trio tour, this time replacing Hutchinson with Hirose.
In July 2007, Shiina performed extensively with Whitaker and Hutchinson. In September, he once again played Rhapsody in Blue with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kim Seikyo, to an enthusiastic reception. In November, Shiina performed with a new quartet, featuring Armacost, Whitaker, and drummer Carl Allen. November and December saw him back in Europe, leading a trio and a quartet including Boccara, on an enthusiastically- received tour of Belgium, France, and Great Britain.
In April 2008, Shiina was invited to lecture and perform at the University of Michigan (Detroit). On his return to Japan, under the baton of world-renowned conductor Hugh Wolff, Shiina once again performed Rhapsody in Blue with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. After an American tour in July with the Rodney Whitaker Quartet, he was selected as a guest artist for Tokyo Jazz Circuit 2008 Jazz Music School Master Class by the legendary Hank Jones. November brought the release of his long-awaited sixth album, "Walkin' in the Clouds", featuring Armacost, Whitaker and Hirose. The subsequent CD release tour (with bassist Yuhei Honkawa replacing Whitaker) was highly successful.
In December 2008 and February 2009, he performed Rhapsody in Blue with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Erick Kunzel. July 2009 saw him once again touring Japan to promote "Walkin' in the Clouds", this time with Whitaker on bass. Shiina then travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where he performed very successfully with his piano trio.
For his next Japan tour in April and May of 2010, Shiina put together a new unit, the London-Tokyo Connection, including trumpeter Brown joined by tenor saxophonist Ed Jones on the front line, backed up by Hirose and Honkawa. With Armacost replacing Jones, the group morphed into the New York-London-Tokyo Connection to continue touring through June.
The following year (2011) saw Shiina touring France with a quartet including tenor saxophonist Martin Jacobsen、bassist Yoni Zelnic、and Boccara. After August concerts in festivals in Korea and Monterey, he performed in duo with pianist Bill Mays, to great acclaim.
In February and March of 2012 Shiina toured England with Brown and world-famous saxophonist Steve Grossman. He subsequently reconstituted the London-Tokyo Connection unit for a Japan tour including a broadcast on NHK-FM.
In October 2015, his highly-anticipated seventh album, "Future Swing," featuring bassist Yasushi Nakamura, drummer Rudy Royston, trumpeter Mike Rodriguez and Armacost was released by Scene-a Music Records. The CD release tour around Japan in December was highly successful.
In May 2018, his eighth album, "Ballad Imaginations" featuring French alto saxophonist Pierrick Pedron, bassist Yuhei Honkawa, drummer Junji Hirose was released by Scene-a Music Records.
In November 2018, Shiina performed with a reunion trio Reginald Veal and Herlin Riley all over Japan successfully.
In November 2019, Shiina led a very successful Japan tour with a trio featuring Reginald Veal and Ali Jackson.
In March 2020, Shiina toured France with Pierrick Pedron, saxophonist Max Ionata, bassist Thomas Bramerie, and Hirose successfully.

As can be seen from this summary of his career to date, Yutaka Shiina is proving to be one of Japan's most active and recognized jazz musicians, both domestically and internationally. He looks forward to an equally rewarding and fruitful year in 2021.

 
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