The chapel at the University of the West Indies, Mona, is set to come alive this evening with the sound of jazz — Japanese jazz.
The Embassy of Japan in association with the Japan Foundation will host its annual concert under the theme, An evening ot Japanese jazz. The event promises to deliver an fantastic line-up of performances from renowned Japanese instrumentalists as well as local artistes.
According to the organisers, over the years the concert has featured a wide range of musicians from Japan who specialise in various types of Japanese music. This year's performers include Eri Yamamoto, who began playing classical piano at age three. In 1995, she was accepted into the jazz programme at New School University in New York. She recently composed trio music to acompany the silent film, I was Born But ... by director Yasujiro Ozu.
The other overseas musician on the bill is flautist Yukari, who states that she has been obsessed with music since age five. She studied Jazz at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, and was taught by jazz masters such as Steve Wilson and Jason Moran. In 2009 Yukari was the winner of the jazz flute master class competition and only this year released her debut album, Dreams.
The Jamaican component to the evening of Japanese jazz, will see performances from saxophonist Dean Fraser, the University Singers and the Kingston College Chapel choir.