Yōsuke Yamashita's Nikutai Mondo Trio

Saturday, September 27

TIME: 1:0pm-1:45pm and 2:15pm-3:00pm

VENUE: logan center performance Penthouse. 915 east 60th st.

YŌSUKE YAMASHITA’S NIKUTAI MONDO TRIO

As part of the celebration of the 30th year of Asian American jazz in Chicago, Yōsuke Yamashita, legendary Japanese jazz avant-garde pianist, composer, and writer, is coming to Chicago with his new trio, which features Tatsu Aoki, renowned bassist and leader of the MIYUMI Project, and Nikutai Mondo dance artist Takahiro Tomatsu.

Yamashita's piano style is influenced by free jazz, modal jazz, and soul jazz. Critic Marc Moses, writing for The Japan Times in 1990, commented that "It is not an exaggeration to say that Yamashita is probably more responsible than any other individual for broadening the horizon of the creative Japanese jazz scene."

Tatsu Aoki, named one of 2001’s "Chicagoans of the Year" by the Chicago Tribune for his cross-cultural music, may be best known for being the long-standing bassist for Chicago’s late, great legend, Fred Anderson. Aoki has released over 100 recording projects in the last 40 years and also advanced a long history of collaboration between African-American and Asian-American jazz artists during that time. His iconic band, the MIYUMI Project, was chosen as the official musical presenter for Yoko Ono's "Skylanding Project" at the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park.

Movement artist and mental wellness practitioner Takahiro Tomatsu has collaborated with Yamashita for more than 15 years at venues including The Koenji and Haremame Live House in Daikanyama. Tomatsu also received the Improvisational Movement Award from Toshi Ichiyanagi (a student of John Cage) at the 2010 Tokyo Experimental Festival.

The musicians:

Yōsuke Yamashita - piano

Tatsu Aoki - bass

Takahiro Tomatsu - dance