Yutaka Shiina
Japanese jazz pianist and composer (born 1964)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yutaka Shiina (椎名 豊, Shiina Yutaka; born 23 September 1964) is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer.
23 September 1964
Yutaka Shiina | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yutaka Shiina (椎名 豊, Shiina Yutaka) 23 September 1964 Tokyo, Japan |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Website | yutakashiina.com |
Early life
Later life and career
Shiina joined the bands of Lionel Hampton and Vincent Herring for their 1989 tours of Japan.[1] In the following year he became part of Roy Hargrove's quartet.[1] Shiina was a founding member of the Jazz Networks, and led this band from 1992.[1] He formed his own trio in 1994, initially with bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Masahiko Osaka.[1] This band recorded, as did later versions that contained Veal and Herlin Riley, then Christian McBride and Clarence Penn.[1]
In 1996 the pianist toured Japan with trumpeter Duško Gojković and Europe with drummer Elvin Jones' Jazz Machine.[1] In 2007 Shiina co-led a tour of the UK with trumpeter Damon Brown.[2] The two played together in the UK again, under the leadership of Brown and saxophonist Steve Grossman, in 2012.[3]
Playing style
John Fordham of The Guardian compared Shiina with pianist Wynton Kelly 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."[2]
Discography
An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.
As leader/co-leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Movin' Forces | BMG | Trio, with Reginald Veal (bass), Masahiko Osaka (drums) |
| 1995* | Hittin' the Spirit | BMG | Trio, with bass, drums |
| 1996* | At the Moment | BMG | |
| 1998 | United | BMG | Trio, with Christian McBride (bass), Clarence Penn (drums) |
| 2000* | Happy to Swing | BMG | |
| 2009* | Walkin' in the Clouds | Space Shower Music | |
| 2015 | Future Swing | Scene-a Music |
As sideman
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Jazz Networks | The Tokyo Sessions | Novus/RCA/BMG |
| 1992 | The Jazz Networks | Beauty and the Beast | BMG |
| Tomonao Hara | For Musicians Only, Vol. 1[4] | King |