Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra: Lecture and Kick-Off Concert
<Date & Time>
Thursday 19 February 2015 (19:00 – 21:00)
<Venue>
Multipurpose Room, 1st Floor,
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
<Language>
Japanese with Thai translation
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok presented the Lecture and Mini Jazz Concert by six Japanese musicians. The Japan Foundation organized “Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra” by young musicians from ASEAN countries and Japan in autumn of 2015. On the occasion, before the project begins, the leaders of this project and young Japanese musicians came to Thailand and delivered lecture and performed a Jazz concert. The lecture and concert by 6 Japanese musicians (Piano, Saxophone, 2 Trombones, Electric Base, and Drums) presented the jazz which they want to create with young ASEAN musicians. They performed not only standard jazz but also their original pieces. Asian Youth Jazz Orchestra consisted of young musicians from ASEAN countries and Japan. From ASEAN countries, 16 musicians were selected by auditions. Their part was Trumpet, Saxophone, Clarinet, Piano and so on. After having training camp in Japan coming summer, they traveled and performed in ASEAN countries and Japan next autumn.
| 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. 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
Composer, 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. |
| Musicians: |
| 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 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 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. |
 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. |