Yoichi Uzeki (Pianist, Arranger, Composer and Train Lover) Born in Tokyo in 1976. Yoichi started taking classical piano lessons and loving trains at the age of three. He started playing jazz and traveling around Japan by train at the freshman year of Hosei University in Tokyo.
After Yoichi joined one of the best college big bands in Japan called "Waseda University High Society Orchestra" in 1998, he won every contest he appeared as a pianist of the band including two consecutive (in1998, 1999) first prizes of Yamano Big Band Contest, which is considered the nationwide annual college big band contest in Japan. His big band arrangement of "Spain" is on their live recording CD also called "Spain" in 2000.
Yoichi purposely chose Richmond VA to study English and no train funning at first. He moved to Philadelphia to study at Temple University and had great teachers such as Terell Stafford, Tom Lawton, Bruce Barth and Bill Cunliffe. Some features during Philadelphia-era includes two Villanova Jazz Festival Soloist Awards (both small group and large ensemble) in 2002, recording of a Temple University Jazz Band CD "Mean What you Say," which includes his big band piece "Not a Love Song" in 2003, providing an arrangement of "I've never been in love before" for a performance with a legendary saxophonist and flutist Frank Wess at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia in 2004, performing Steinway and Sons' "Peace Piano" at WRTI radio in Philadelphia, performing weekly with world-known bassist, Jamaaladeen Tacuma including a performance at West Oak Lane Jazz Festival and joining Amtrak "Guest Rewards."
His love of larger subway and train system and jazz made him finally move to New York City in 2005. Yoichi went to Queens College CUNY and received a master's degree in 2006 and recieved "Sir Roland Hanna Award" in 2007.
Currently, Yoichi is a member of legendary saxophonist and composer, Oliver Lake's Big Band and a piano faculty at York College CUNY, performs around New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington DC and Tokyo. He have performed with Terell Stafford, Oliver Lake, Michael Phillip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Cecil Bridgewater, Joan Cartwright, George Gray, Ray Vega, Tim Warfield Jr., Bobby Porcelli, Manny Duran, Peter Brainin, Michael Hawkins, Walter Bell and among others. He also provids arrangements to school bands as well as professional big bands such as Waseda High Society Orchestra and Tim Armacost's Brooklyn Big Band.
“My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being … When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups … I want to speak to their souls.” - John Coltrane
“You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.” - John Coltrane
“Over all, I think the main thing a musician would like to do is give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things that he knows of and senses in the universe. . . That’s what I would like to do. I think that’s one of the greatest things you can do in life and we all try to do it in some way. The musician’s is through his music.” - John Coltrane
“All a musician can do is to get closer to the sources of nature, and so feel that he is in communion with the natural laws.” - John Coltrane
“If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.” - Coleman Hawkins
“What I came back to is that jazz is a music to be played and not to be intellectualized on.” - Gerry Mulligan
“Jazz is music made by and for people who have chosen to feel good in spite of conditions.” - Johnny Griffin
“If someone has been escaping reality, I don’t expect him to dig my music.” - Charles Mingus
“They’re singing your praises while stealing your phrases.” - Charles Mingus
“Most of the soloists at Birdland had to wait for Parker’s next record in order to find out what to play next. What will they do now?” - Charles Mingus
“In my music, I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time.” - Charles Mingus
Yo are you free for a gig on the 5th of Sept? Garage 10:30? Let me know..
Also, I'll be moving to Wayne (Grad School @ William Paterson) in about 10 days. We should hit some NYC sessions. You should check out Toru Dodo Sundays @ Cleo's... he runs a mostly Japanese session uptown.
King Yoichi! All hail the man and his 88 keys of pain and pleasure! How are you doing? I hope you're kickin' it in all your glory brother! Don't be a stranger, let's EAT! Kunal
Just got back from a month in TOKYO. Japanese have so much love for the music. Met some great musicians... hmm I may relocate there for a minute... or at least make it there a couple times a year. Do you know a pianist, Tomomi Fukui? or Hiroe?.. Noriko Onuki? great female Japanese Jazz musicians I hung/gigged with a lot over there... a live-house on almost every block in TOKYO... Just the Chinese Massagi-girls in Roppongi are a trap... Anyway... make a gig and sit in man! Keep in touch... PEACE: BJ
Hey Yoichi -- Whatchya up to? You inspired me to try to make an arrangement for If I Were a Bell that's even more f*#!ed up than yours. Hope you like it.
Hey Yoichi -- Whatchya up to? You inspired me to try to make an arrangement for If I Were a Bell that's even more f*#!ed up than yours. Hope you like it.
Hey buddy!!! Thanks for adding a song of ours onto your myspace page! Good memories. We really should get together to play and record again sometime this summer. That was such a great time. Hope you are doing well! :)
Molly :)
