Jazz Pianist/Composer Yoko Kawaguchi:
To play piano like "water", to get "freedom on 88 keys" is Yoko's musical goal.
Born in Nagasaki, Japan, she started classical piano at age five.
When Yoko first heard the music of Thelonius Monk, she could not stop smiling. Yoko loves Bebop and holds profound respect for Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell.
After graduating from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Master's degree in Jazz Studies, receiving a Mack H. Kay Scholarship for Excellence in Jazz Composition, she moved to NYC.
Musically inspired by the Barry Harris workshops, Yoko has enjoyed creating her own voice and performing in various groups and solo settings.
Yoko's self-produced debut album "Before It's Too Late", played with bassist Earl May, drummer Leroy Williams, and special guest guitarist Satoshi Inoue. Reviewed with: "shows the young Japanese woman as a first-class piano player, composer, and arranger." "Kawaguchi's original compositions stand up to repeated listening."
Receiving gifts through her health journey, learning from life, and feeling herself reborn, Yoko has begun work on her second solo album.
