is a Japanese

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist and composer, born in

Kiryū, Gunma is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,991 in 49,745 households, and a population density of 400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kiryū is in the southeast part of G ...

Prefecture."Chihiro Yamanaka Biography
AllMusic
/ref> As of 2012, she was based in New York City. She has had more than a dozen albums as a leader, most of them being released by

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

Career

Chihiro Yamanaka Trio Gunma Concert 2010

Yamanaka studied at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

and is an alumna of the

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

's Jazz Ahead residency program."Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival
''The Kennedy Center''
Retrieved January 28, 2013. She has played and recorded with the New York-based DIVA Jazz Orchestra, led by Sherrie Maricle, but is best known for her small group recordings, which are typically trios and have featured bassists such as

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...

and Robert Hurst, and drummers such as Jeff Ballard and

Jeff "Tain" Watts Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Biography Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny ...

. Yamanaka has toured in Europe, the United States and Japan, and has played at several festivals, including the

Umbria Jazz Festival The Umbria Jazz Festival is one of the most important jazz festivals in the world and has been held annually since 1973, usually in July, in Perugia, and surrounding cities of the region of Umbria Italy. Furthermore, the Umbria Jazz Winter Festi ...

in 2011 (a performance described by the Jazz Times' reviewer as "The biggest surprise of the night ..Right and left, jaws were dropping", and the Bologna Jazz Festival and

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and ...

Women in Jazz Festival the following year. In 2011 and 2012 Yamanaka played Gershwin's ''

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...

'' with symphony orchestras in Japan."Chihiro Yamanaka
''Scott Foster Management''
Retrieved January 29, 2013. Yamanaka has more than a dozen recordings released under her own name, principally on the

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

label, most of which have been released internationally, and which include a DVD of her playing at the

Iridium Jazz Club The Iridium is a music club located on Broadway in New York City. The club featured weekly performances by Les Paul for nearly fifteen years. History The club opened in January 1994 at its original location, at 63rd Street and Broadway in the ...

in New York. Two of her recent releases, ''Forever Begins'' (2010) and ''Reminiscence'' (2011), were given four-star ratings by AllMusic reviewers, the review of the latter concluding with, "Yamanaka is a fierce talent with robust chops, plenty of soul, and a seemingly endless imagination for the musical possibilities of the piano trio". Yamanaka is one of the 'Frontier Ambassadors' for Kōriyama City.

Playing style

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

commented in 2016 that Yamanaka played, in the nature of

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, "straightahead classic jazz with the kind of showboating virtuosity that makes listeners doubt their senses".Fordham, John (April 13, 2016
"Chihiro Yamanaka Review – Effortless Virtuosity and Warmth"
''The Guardian''. "Like Peterson, Yamanaka favours opening a song at a quiet, lounge-jazz sway and winding it up to a sprint just as listeners are settling back in their chairs."

Discography

As leader

Others

With Sherrie Maricle & The Diva Jazz Orchestra * ''A Tommy Newsom Tribute'' (Lightyear Entertainment, 2005) With

Marlene VerPlanck Marlene Paula VerPlanck ''(née'' Pampinella; November 11, 1933 – January 14, 2018) was an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centered on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret. Life and career VerPlanck was born and ...

* ''It's How You Play the Game'' (Audiophile, 2004)

References

External links

Chihiro Yamanaka Official Site (mainly in Japanese)AllMusic pages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamanaka, Chihiro Berklee College of Music alumni Japanese jazz pianists Japanese women pianists Living people Musicians from Gunma Prefecture Musicians from New York City People from Gunma Prefecture 21st-century pianists 21st-century American women musicians Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century women pianists