Hiroko Miyake and Eriko Shimizu Trio
Biography Hiroko Miyake and Eriko Shimizu Trio
Hiroko Miyake
was born in Tokyo and grew up in Gotemba City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Since childhood, she has had a strong love for singing, and singing has always accompanied her growth. By chance, she heard an album by a jazz group, in which a female singer had a charming and deep voice. Out of admiration for this singer, Miyake began to try to imitate her singing, and unexpectedly found that the singing process was full of fun, and the more she sang, the more she devoted herself to it, and she would insist on imitating and practicing every day. The singer she yearned for was Sarah Vaughan. With the help of Sarah Vaughan's many repertoires, Hiroko Miyake came into contact with and learned about many excellent jazz works. In order to explore the music world of her idol more deeply, Hiroko Miyake lived in New York for a while. She followed Sarah Vaughan's example and joined the gospel choir in Harlem and insisted on practicing every day. In the choir, she was deeply attracted by the powerful gospel singing method and devoted herself to learning harmony and vocal techniques. During this period, she also participated in improvisational concerts every night in New York and Los Angeles, not only mastering the way of playing swing music, but also gradually forming her own unique rhythmic style. In addition, she systematically studied jazz theory and English singing techniques at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and is still continuing to study and study. In 2014, Hiroko Miyake collaborated with local musicians to release a rhythm and blues mini album "Uncontrollable", and her unique blues soul style won wide acclaim.
Eriko Shimizu
Japanese pianist Eriko Shimizu was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo in 1973. Influenced by her grandmother who was a piano and electronic keyboard teacher, she has had an indissoluble bond with musical instruments since childhood. She officially started her music learning journey at the age of 5 and systematically studied classical music and composition at the Nem Music Academy. At the age of 16, she had already demonstrated her extraordinary musical talent - under the direction of Maxim Shostakovich, the son of the famous composer Shostakovich, she performed her own concerto with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. Not only that, her performance footprints are also all over the country and abroad, and she has accumulated rich stage experience in many countries such as France, Germany, Poland, Vienna, Israel, and the United States. After that, she temporarily left the music field until she was 19 years old, when she first came into contact with jazz in a part-time shop. This art form, which is completely different from the music style she had been exposed to before, deeply attracted her, so she began to concentrate on studying jazz music through self-study and practice. Since then, she has successively cooperated with many powerful musicians and has joined the Takeuchi Nao Band and the Mine Atsuko Band. Today, she is active on the stage with a frequency of more than 300 performances a year, continuing to polish and pursue her own unique musical style.
Shinichi Kato
was born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1958. In 1985, he was invited to join the Takeshi Inomata Trio and moved to Tokyo. In 1992, he moved to New York City to settle down. In 1994, he toured with JJJAS and performed at Carnegie Hall. In the same year, he released his debut album "Something Close To Love" (King, KICJ222) with Mike Stern. After returning to Japan, he joined Masahiko Togashi (JJ Spirits) in 2002. He formed Tipo CABEZA with Yoshihiko Sato. In 2005, he performed at the Mails and North Sea Jazz Festival with Yoshihiko Sato (saifa). He participated in the musical activities of Arakinema and provided music for musicals. His activities are diverse. He formed his own band (B-HOT CREATIONS). He has released 16 solo albums, including "Jazz Samurai" and the duet album "Bass on Cinema" with Sugadairo (Pf). His playing style is diverse and transcends genres, making him an indispensable presence in the jazz world.
Toyoaki Sekine
was born in 1996. Sekine has been familiar with music since childhood and started playing drums at the age of 11. He graduated from the Jazz Department of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and started his professional career after graduation. While serving as a member of his own bands "Innocide" and "NAZOON", he actively participates in various activities that transcend the boundaries of genres and styles. He performs live, supports artists, and records in the studio.
