Hitomi Nishiyama

Bio:

Hitomi Nishiyama was born on November 17,1979, and grew up in Osaka, Japan. She took up classical piano at the age of 6, and started playing jazz at age 18 when serendipity came in the form of two deeply inspirational CDs -- Chick Corea’s Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, and Bill Evans’s Undercurrent. While majoring in Jazz Piano at the Osaka College of Music, Hitomi embarked on her career as a professional pianist. After graduating from college, she devoted herself to the music of Enrico Pieranunzi and came to be noted for her exceptional performances at various Japanese houses of jazz. In September of 2004, Hitomi released her first and self-produced album titled “I’m Missing You” comprising of eight original tunes. I’m Missing You garnered her more than a favorable recognition, and resulted in marketing opportunities all over Japan. Hitomi’s ascent to national fame culminated in 2005 when she won a Grand Prix at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade 2005 Competition. In May of 2006, Hitomi teamed up with two of Sweden’s most talented musicians, Hans Backenroth (Bs) and Anders Kjellberg (Dr), and recorded her debut album “Cubium” in Stockholm. “Cubium” gained accolades even before its national release in September 2006, and further established Hitomi’s eminence in Japan. In July of 2007 Hitomi and her Swedish trio were invited to perform at the Stockholm Jazz Festival, making Hitomi its first Japanese guest musician. Her performance won rave reviews from the Swedish press. More recently at the renowned Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm, Hitomi performed and recorded with Hans Backenroth (Bs), Paul Svanberg (Dr), and Karl-Martin Almqvist (Ts) for two nights of solid groove. After then, Hitomi released 3 albums “Many Seasons” (2007), “In Stockholm” (2008), “Parallax” (2008) from Spice of Life. The latest album “Parallax” reached the first top of the HMV jazz chart, and was nominated for the Swing Journal jazz prize. In February of 2010, her song named "Unfolding Universe" has been selected as a finalist of International Songwriting Competition 2009 which is regarded as one of the world's premier international songwriting competitions, and the entrants are from all over the world.ISC finalists were chosen out of approximately 15,000 entrants. Her song is one of 13 finalists. And her song named "Soul Travel" was selected as a semi-finalist, too. In April of 2010, Hitomi won a prize of the 3rd place in jazz category in International Songwriting Competition. Hitomi’s music is flavored by influences from both Enrico Pieranunzi and European jazz, and is recognized for its inimitable, exquisitely beautiful melodies. On the other hand, Hitomi’s performances with her trio radiate with passionate energy, and are known to cut across known genres. She was consequently invited to perform at numerous jazz festivals in Japan, including Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Nagoya Groovin’ Summer, Yokohama Summer Jazz Festival, Konan Jazz Festival, Takatsuki Jazz Street and Hirakatajuku Jazz Street. Her music is sought after by fans across Japan, and Hitomi is proving herself as one of Japan’s preeminent female pianists.


International Songwriting Competition 2009
Winner in Jazz category


Hitomi Nishiyama's Official Home page (in Japanese)

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"Music In You / Hitomi Nishiyama Trio"
MT002 Meantone/diskunion 2011
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Yasuhiko "Hachi" Sato : bass
Kazumi Ikenaga : drums
Ryosuke Hashizume : tenor sax
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"Parallax / Hitomi Nishiyama"
PBCM61032 Spice of Life/EMI Music Japan 2008
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Takuya Sakazaki : bass
Takehiro Shimizu : drums
Takayoshi Baba : guitar
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"In Stockholm: Live at Glenn Miller Cafe"
SOLJP-0008 Spice of Life/Amuse 2008
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Hans Backenroth : bass
Paul Svanberg : drums
Karl-Martin Almqvist : tenor sax
Anders Kjellberg : drums
Click to buy this CD



"Many Seasons / Hitomi Nishiyama Trio"
SOLJP-0005 Spice of Life/Amuse 2007
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Hans Backenroth : bass
Anders Kjellberg : drums
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"CUBIUM / Hitomi Nishiyama Trio"
SOLJP-0003 Spice of Life/Amuse 2006
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Hans Backenroth : bass
Anders Kjellberg : drums
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"I'm Missing You / Hitomi Nishiyama Trio"
VNTM-04001 Steps Records 2004
Hitomi Nishiyama : piano
Mitsuaki Hara : bass
Tsutomu Kawauchi : drums

Influences:

Jazz,Classic

Record Label:

Meantone Records