Junko Onishi (musician)
| Junko Onishi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Junko Onishi |
| Born |
April 16, 1967 Kyoto, Japan |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
Junko Onishi (大西 順子 Onishi Junko, born April 16, 1967 in Kyoto) is a Japanese jazz pianist; she plays in the post-bop genre.
Early career
After studying at Berklee Onishi moved to New York City, where she played with Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Kenny Garrett, and Mingus Dynasty. She has also worked with Jackie McLean, Holly Cole, and Billy Higgins, among others, and recorded eight CDs for Blue Note (Somethin' Else in Japan) as a leader.
Although she lists Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Ornette Coleman as her primary influences, her playing is also reminiscent of McCoy Tyner and contemporaries such as Kenny Kirkland and Mulgrew Miller.
Onishi appeared in the documentary Blue Note: A Story of Modern Jazz (1997), playing the song "Trinity" ("Quick") from her album Play, Piano, Play.
Hiatus and later career
Onishi stopped performing in the late 1990s, having chosen to study and practise. When Jaki Byard, her mentor at that time, died in 1999, she stopped playing completely for two years: "I felt like I lost everything; I felt like I didn't have any more mentors".[1] She had to redevelop her technique when she decided to return, and started going to a gym to help her cope with the physical demands of playing.[1]
Blue Note released her trio album, Musical Moments in 2009. Baroque (Verve), with Onishi leading a much larger group, followed a year later.[1]
Discography
Albums as leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Wow | Somethin' Else | Trio, with Tomoyuki Shima (b), Dairiki Hara (d) |
| 1993 | Cruisin' | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Trio, with Rodney Whitaker (b), Billy Higgins (d) |
| 1994 | Live at the Village Vanguard | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Trio, with Reginald Veal (b), Herlin Riley (d). |
| 1994 | Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol II | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Trio, with Reginald Veal (b), Herlin Riley (d). |
| 1995 | Piano Quintet Suite | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Quintet, with Eiichi Hayashi (as), Marcus Belgrave (tp, voc), Rodney Whitaker (b), Tony Rabeson (d) |
| 1996 | Play, Piano, Play | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Trio, with Shigeo Aramaki (b), Dairiki Hara (d). In concert |
| 1997 | Self-portrait | Somethin' Else | Compilation |
| 1998 | Fragile | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Onishi also plays keyboards. With Reginald Veal (b), Karriem Riggins, Motohiko Hino, Tamaya Honda (d; separately) |
| 2008-09 | Musical Moments | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
Trio, with Yousuke Inoue (b), Gean Jackson (d). Bonus track from 2008 is trio, with Reginald Veal (b), Herlin Riley (d) |
| 2010 | Baroque | Verve | |
Other recordings
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Shigeharu Mukai | J Quintet Featuring Junko Onishi | Somethin' Else |
| 1996 | Jackie McLean | Hat Trick | Somethin' Else /Blue Note |
| 1996 | Joe Lovano | Tenor Time | Somethin' Else |
| 1999 | Phil Woods | Cool Woods | Somethin' Else |
References
- 1 2 3 Murph, John (November 2010) "Junko Onishi: Time to Reflect" JazzTimes.
External links
|