Photo by Kate Belle
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
Japan Charity Concert @ University of Oxford
Oakeshott Room, Lincoln College
More info
BLOG & NEWS (in JAPANESE)
http://blog.livedoor.jp/takanamiyamoto
News in ENGLISH
http://blog.livedoor.jp/takanamiyamoto/archives/cat_35535.html
Discography
http://blog.livedoor.jp/takanamiyamoto/archives/cat_36736.html
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Takana Miyamoto
Pianist / Composer
＊ Voted ‘Atlanta’s Best Jazz Act’ in 2005 and 2006
＊ Rising Star Pianist (International Jazz Society)
＊ One of Georgia's 100 most powerful and influential women (2003)
＊ Winner of Randy Edman Jazz Piano Competition
Takana Miyamoto is an multi award-winning, internationally acclaimed concert pianist and composer.
She bases herself in UK (London/Oxford), USA (Atlanta) and Japan, and has performed in over 20 countries worldwide.
Takana Miyamoto’s piano sound is featured on albums of the multi-Grammy nominated jazz greats Kirk Whalum (sax) and Nnenna Freelon (voc), or in collaboration with the singer/composer Keizo Nakanishi, vocalist/flugelhorn player TOKU, Japanese Bamboo flute player, Yasukazu Kano among many other greats. This most-requested jazz pianist with a firm foundation of classical training is also a vital bandleader. Takana specializes in musical collaboration beyond genre and cultural exchange through music.
Born and raised in Yuki, Ibaraki, Japan, Takana Miyamoto grew up musically influenced by her father and brother's guitar playing and singing. The first keyboard lesson was at age 4, and Takana decided to make a career being a composer at age 14.
With her dream of becoming a film composer, Takana came to the USA to accepted to Berklee College of music in ‘93, and became deeply drawn to jazz piano, fascinated by the music of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. She recorded the first trio album in 1997, made the nationwide TV debut on BET, and started her international performing career.
After graduating with an honor, with a dual degree in Film Scoring and Jazz Composition, Takana relocated to NYC, where she won the 1st place in Randy Edman Piano Competition in 1998. Takana traveled and performed all over the world with the multi- Grammy nominated vocalist, Nnenna Freelon, and she is featured also as an arranger and a musical director on 'Soulcall' (2 Grammy nominations in ’01) and 'Live at the Kennedy Center' albums.
In 2002, she moved to Atlanta, GA, received the 'Rising Star' recognition from the International Jazz Society, and completed the master's program in Jazz Pedagogy at Georgia State University. She was awarded the US permanent residency based on her contribution in the music field. She was selected to be one of ‘GA's most powerful and influential women' ('02), Elite Asian from Asian American Community in GA, ('05), and was selected 'the Atlanta's best jazz act' ('05 and '06) in Creative Loafing, and the honorary member for the Japan America Society of Georgia (‘09).
In 2006, Takana began collaborating with the original Bill Evans Trio drummer, Marty Morell on ‘Tribute to Bill Evans’ concert series. view video She has musically collaborated in genres ranging from Jazz, classical to the film music, with a long list of artists including the Grammy winner/nominee Nnenna Freelon (voc), Kirk Whalum (sax), Jimmy Heath (sax)、Earl Klugh (guit)、Russell Gunn (trp)、Chris Potter (sax)、Daniel Ho (Voc/Ukulele) and Lizz Wright (voc)、Rene Marie (voc), Allan Harris (voc), Japanese bamboo flutist Yasukazu Kano, TOKU(voc/flglhn), Tetsuro Kawashima (sax), Yosuke Onuma (guit), Hironobu Saito (guit) and many others.
As a composer, Takana has scored for a motion picture 'Tanemaku Tabibito', ‘Furusatogaeri’, 'Dear Willie' and theater productions 'Long Christmas Ride Home' & 'Duke Ellington's Cat' (winner of the International UNIMA award). She has also written and recorded music for environmental education program, 'Eco Kids' with Keizo Nakanishi (vo) for Suntory Japan, inc.
As a music producer, Miyamoto has produced several albums including;
-'Promises Made' album (co-produced with Kirk Whalum (sax) for Millennium Promise Organization of Columbia University, NYC) (Ranked 5th in Billboard Jazz chart in 2008)
- Yasukazu Kano 'Shiawase ni' (Wishing You/2010) 'Take no Uta' (Bamboo Songs/2010) Yamaha Music Communications, Japan
- Junko Takeo’s 'Music for Koto and a jazz piano trio 1 & 2'
- TOKU (voc/flugelhorn) 'Love Again(2008)' & 'Sings & Plays Stevie Wonder'(2011) for Sony Music Japan International
- Takana Miyamoto trio 'It's All Up To you', 'Tree Song', 'Live at Churchill Grounds', 'An Acoustic Journey'.
Takana is the headliner/supervisor for her hometown jazz festival in Yuki, Ibaraki, Japan, and invites guests from overseas for concert tours of Japan every year.
www.Takana.net
(Photo by Kate Belle)
(Photo by Kate Belle)
