HARUKO NARA & YOSHIAKI MASUO DUO

Haruko is a native of Japan.  She grew up in a small town 30 miles west of Tokyo and began her musical studies in classical piano at age 5.  She would listen to classical music, pop music, along with Japanese traditional music called “Utai” that her grandfather sang at home.  When Haruko was in elementary school, her piano teacher Nihoko Takagi noticed her exceptional musical talent and encouraged her to pursue a career in music.  Haruko’s first encounter with jazz was at home listening intensively to recordings by jazz masters such as John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and Miles Davis.  She would imitate what she heard on piano and write original compositions as well.  She started performing in jazz groups in Tokyo soon after.

Haruko's love and curiosity for music brought her to New York.  The very first day she arrived in Manhattan, she was convinced that this is the place for her.  While going to jazz clubs night after night, she began to major in classical piano performance and studied with Zenon Fishbein at The Manhattan School of Music.  After earning a Bachelor of Music, Haruko went on to study classical composition at The Juilliard School.  She also studied jazz piano privately with Kenny Barron, Richie Beirach, Joanne Brackeen, Barry Harris, Bruce Barth and Norman Simmons, jazz composition with David Berger, and Japanese traditional music (Koto, Japanese harp) with Fusako Yoshida.

While in college, Haruko began playing jazz professionally in New York.  She performed with a singer and dancer, Atsuko Yume and trumpeter Don Cherry at “The Women’s Jazz Festival” at the Lincoln Center in 1983.  A music producer named Cobi Narita discovered Haruko’s talent and asked her perform at “A Jazz Festival: An Asian/Asian-American Perspective” in New York in 1984.  On the occasion, she played with Clifford Jordan, Kiyoto Fujiwara, and Billy Hart.  That was Haruko’s New York debut as a bandleader.  One of her first steady club engagements was a duo appearance every weekend at One Fifth, where she had abundant opportunities to work with seasoned players such as Buster Williams, Rufus Lead, and Major Holley, as well as the younger generations of talented musicians at the time including Peter Washington, Lonnie Plaxico, Kenny Davis, and Ira Coleman.

Over the years, Haruko Nara has played with numerous eminent musicians.  She has shared the stage with Frank Wess, Kenny Garrett, Billy Higgins, Ben Riley, Eddie Henderson, Michael Max Flemming, Carl Allen, Dennis Irwin, Michael Formanek, Nana Vasconselos, Ralph Moor, Yoshiaki Masuo, Dennis Charles, Tommy Campbell, John Blake, Kevin Eubanks, Jamil Nasser, Buddy Williams, William Parker, Yoshio Chin Suzuki, and Wallace Roney.  She has also played as a member of Kenny Garrett, Major Holley, Billy Hart, and Kiyoto Fujiwara’s group.  She has accompanied singers such as Shoko Amano and Marion Cowings as well.

Haruko has performed at various venues and concerts including the Blue Note, Bradley's, Birdland, The Knitting Factory, the Kitano, Lenox Launge, Body & Soul (Tokyo, Japan), Dug (Tokyo), Carnegie Recital Hall, Whitney Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, St. Peter's Church, Cathedral of St. John The Divine, Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Musica Oggi (Milan, Italy), Istituto Giapponese di Cultura (Rome, Italy), Sport and Cultural Festival for Peace (Pyongyang, North Korea), Puerto Rico National Conservatory (Puerto Rico), University of Trinidad (Port of Spain, Trinidad), Japan Fest (Copan Ruinas, Honduras), and The University of Panama (Panama City, Panama).

YOSHIAKI MASUO(g)

Born in Tokyo. While enrolled in the Waseda University Modern Jazz Study Group, he was officially welcomed by the Sadao Watanabe group and entered the professional ranks, and suddenly gained star popularity. In 1971, he moved to New York. In addition to being in the band of modern jazz master Sonny Rollins for a total of six years, he has performed with many big artists such as Lee Konitz, Chick Corea, Elvin Jones, and Larry Young, and is active as the "Masuo of the world". A refreshing and friendly smile. The guitar is attractive for its warmth and natural singing with sensibility. His musicality is really deep. Since 85, he has owned a full-fledged recording studio The Studio in New York, and is also active as a famous producer known to those in the know. There was a long time when I was busy with my work in the studio and couldn't do music activities as much as I wanted. In 2008, he returned to being a 100% guitarist due to the closure of The Studio. In August of the same year, he released his first new album in 10 years, "Life is Good", from his own Sunshine Ave. Label (masuomusic.com), and resumed his performance activities in earnest! He still lives in New York.