Biography of Taeko Kunishima

Taeko Kunishima started to play piano at the age of seven years old, and in early years of playing was particularly taken by Mozart and Beethoven. She later studied classical piano performance at music university. During this period she became more influenced by Romantic, Impressionist and modern piano music: Chopin, List, Rachmaninof, Debussy, Bartok and the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. On hearing Miles Davis for the first time, her direction changed again, leading her to explore the music of many different jazz artists, and to develop her own improvisatory technique, and studying jazz harmony. Taeko moved to England five years ago, to continue her jazz studies, and to widen her musical horizons. Since then, she has continued to evolve and develop her startlingly distinctive style, combining traditional Japanese music with Classical impressionism and an angular contemporary jazz approach, echoing Thelonuis Monk and Stan Tracy, yet often stretching out into new territories, seeking to fuse the musical and cultural influences of her native Japan with those of her new-found home in England. Alongside her work with many UK jazz artists, she has also been working with musicians from many different cultures and countries, and has built up an impressive range of musical partnerships, ranging from latin pop to electronic music and contemporary Classical music.