Ayako Shirasaki

Ayako Shirasaki (白崎 彩子, Shirasaki Ayako) is a Japanese-American jazz pianist, composer and teacher living in Brooklyn, New York.

Ayako Shirasaki
BornTokyo, Japan
GenresJazz, mainstream jazz, swing
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1990–present
LabelsWhat's New, Jan Matthies
Websiteayakoshirasaki.com

Biography

Shirasaki started classical piano lessons at age 5; she was also intrigued by her father's professional trombone-playing. She began her professional career at the age of twelve by playing gigs at the "J" jazz club in Tokyo.[1]

After attending the Tokyo Metropolitan High School for Arts,[2] Shirasaki majored in classical musicat the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and gave concerts as a classical pianist for several years after graduating before returning to play jazz.[1]

She moved to New York City in 1997 to pursue a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Kenny Barron. She met and married fellow-student Tom Landman; they live in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn and have two children. Shirasaki operates the Brooklyn location of the Sakura Music School, specializing in teaching music to small children with an emphasis on those of Japanese ancestry. She performs regularly in the New York area, as well as touring internationally.

Career

In August 2003 the Japanese indie label What's New Records released her debut trio CD "Existence" (Lewis Nash on drums, Marco Panascia on bass) in Japan.[3] "Musically Yours" her second CD was released in June, 2005.[4] Before giving birth to her two children, Shirasaki's solo piano album Home Alone was released in April 2006. In the same year she has been featured on Marian McPartland's National Public Radio Show Piano Jazz.[1] and on the compilation CD An NPR Jazz Christmas with Marian McPartland and Friends, Vol. 3.[5]

She was a finalist in the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Piano Competition in 2005 and 2006 and the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 2004, 2005 and 2006.[6][7]

After taking parental leave she continued her career with a performance at the 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009 in Germany. In 2010 she performed at the Jazz Journalists Association Awards Gala.[8]

Discography
  • 2003 - Existence
  • 2005 - Musically Yours
  • 2006 - Home Alone
  • 2010 - Falling Leaves - Live in Hamburg
  • 2013 - Some Other Time

Compilations
  • 2006 - An NPR Christmas Collection with Marian McPartland and Friends
  • 2006 - NPR Jazz Christmas With Marian McPartland and Friends III
  • 2009 - Best of 1st International Jazz Solo Piano Festival 2009

References
  1. "NPR : Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Ayako Shirasaki", Marian Mcpartland's Piano Jazz / Originally recorded February 6, 2006
  2. https://www.npr.org/2016/04/15/474388065/ayako-shirasaki-on-piano-jazz
  3. "Big steps for Tokyo's little jazz labels", The Japan Times / Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003
  4. "Zen-Beat" Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Jazzthetik / Feb. 2010, page 59
  5. , www.allmusic.com
  6. "Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Pianist Competition Finalists" Archived June 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, www.kennedy-center.org/programs/jazz / Jazz Program at The Kennedy Center
  7. "A sophisticated evening of jazz", The Florida Times-Union jacksonville.com / April 6, 2005
  8. "2010 Jazz Awards", JJA News - insights and updates from the Jazz Journalists Association
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