I was flipping through Downbeat today (the 75th anniversary collector’s edition; seriously, I’m going to keep this thing forever) and I read this short blurb about Toshiko Akiyoshi, a female jazz pianist from Japan (Toshiko: Japan’s First Gift to U.S. Jazz). In a nutshell, Akiyoshi’s pretty amazing – in 1952, Oscar Peterson discovered her playing in a club during one of his tours and convinced his producer to record her playing with his rhythm section (this album was later called Toshiko’s Piano); three years later, Akiyoshi wrote to the Berklee College of Music asking for a chance to study there – and she did, on a full scholarship. And not only that – she also became the first Japanese student to be enrolled at the Berklee College of Music.
First reaction: How did I not know about Akiyoshi for this long?
Second reaction: Hiromi Uehara!
It all fits together: the piano, the Japanese heritage, the Oscar Peterson influence, the enrollment in the Berklee College of Music. Uehara is totally a reincarnation of Akiyoshi.
Okay, not really. Their styles are totally different – Akiyoshi sounds a lot like Bud Powell while Uehara’s developed her own style that’s really quite difficult to describe; I’ll call it classical/jazz/rock/funk/fusion for now. And the fact that Akiyoshi’s still alive and playing the keys doesn’t really work out for reincarnation.
Uehara’s extremely influential in my own adventures in jazz, so I’m going to dedicate a separate post for her in the future. But for now, I’ll give you a playlist for each of these jazz pianists (note: some of these are their original compositions and others just include Akiyoshi/Uehara):
TOSHIKO AKIYOSHI:
1…The Subject is Jazz (Compilation). 2…The Village. 3…Strive for Jive. 4…Noutorious Tourist From East. 5…Salted Ginko Nuts. 6…Long Yellow Road.
HIROMI UEHARA:
1…The Tom and Jerry Show. 2…Kung Fu World Champion. 3…Spain (with Chick Corea!). 4…XYZ. 5…Time Out. 6…I’ve Got Rhythm.
You’ll notice as you listen to these that both of these pianists are extremely trained classical musicians, which really shows in their playing. Happy listening!
