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.

Early life

Shiina was born in Tokyo on 23 September 1964.Sugiyama, Kazunor
"Shiina, Yutaka"
''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed.). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 May 2015. (Subscription required). He had piano lessons from the age of three. From 1982 he studied composition at the Kunitachi College of Music; while still a student, he became a professional jazz pianist.

Later life and career

Shiina joined the bands of

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

and

Vincent Herring Vincent Dwayne Herring (born November 19, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and educator. Known for his fiery and soulful playing in the bands of Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, and Nat Adderley in the earlier stages of h ...

for their 1989 tours of Japan. In the following year he became part of

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

's quartet. Shiina was a founding member of the Jazz Networks, and led this band from 1992. He formed his own trio in 1994, initially with bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Masahiko Osaka. This band recorded, as did later versions that contained Veal and Herlin Riley, then

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

and

Clarence Penn Clarence Lacquese Penn (born March 2, 1968) is an American jazz drummer and composer. Early life Penn was born in Detroit on March 2, 1968.Kennedy, Gary W"Clarence Penn" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). Grove Music Online. Oxf ...

. In 1996 the pianist toured Japan with trumpeter

Duško Gojković Duško Gojković ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Гојковић; born 14 October 1931) is a Serbian and Yugoslav jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. Biography Gojković was born in Jajce (ex-Yugoslavia, now in Bosnia-Herzegovina). He studied at the ...

and Europe with drummer

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

' Jazz Machine. In 2007 Shiina co-led a tour of the UK with trumpeter Damon Brown.Fordham, John (6 December 2007
"Yutaka Shiina/Damon Brown"
''The Guardian''. The two played together in the UK again, under the leadership of Brown and saxophonist Steve Grossman, in 2012."Live Music". (25 February 2012) ''The Financial Times''. Life and Arts, p. 15.

Playing style

John Fordham of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' compared Shiina with pianist

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of ...

and commented that Shiina "keeps his virtuosity throttled back and maintains a hip expressiveness by letting insinuations, nuances and implied swing, and the subtle tick of the rhythm section do much of the work."

Discography

An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

References

;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiina, Yutaka 1964 births Japanese jazz pianists Living people Musicians from Tokyo 21st-century pianists