Yōsuke Yamashita

Jazz pianist Yōsuke Yamashita was born on February 26, 1942, in Tokyo, Japan. He began studying the violin at the age of 9 but turned his attention to the piano when he was 15. In 1959, he began playing the piano professionally. Between 1962 and 1967, he studied classical composition at the Kunitachi College of Music. During this period, he joined a group and began playing at a local jazz club, exploring different aspects of the genre, and becoming a pioneer of free jazz and avant-garde in the process. Although his earliest recordings were in 1963, he didn’t come into prominence until he formed the Yōsuke Yamashita Trio in 1969 and released albums such as Dancing Kojiki, Concert in New Jazz, and Mina’s Second Theme in quick succession. After several more releases, he began to attract an international audience and by his 1974 album Clay, the Yōsuke Yamashita Trio was able to undertake their first European tour. A prolific artist, he released two dozen album over the next decade while also undertaking several tours in Japan and Europe before his trio broke up. He continued to record solo releases and collaborate with other artists including Mal Waldron, Kodō, and Hozan Yamamoto. In 1990, he formed his New York Trio which included Pheeroan akLaff (drums) and Cecil McBee (bass). The trio recorded a series of albums over the next 30 years, often joined by saxophone player Joe Lovano. During his career, Yōsuke Yamashita also recorded the soundtracks to seven films, composed several classical scores, and collaborated with many American and Japanese artists. Since 2010, he has taught a jazz music course at the Kunitachi College of Music.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.