Biography
Having relocated from Japan to the United States in 1995, Eri Yamamoto quickly emerged among jazz’s most distinctive pianists and composers, weaving together contemporary, progressive, and modern creative currents. At the core of her approach lies an intensely personal lyricism that finds its clearest expression through improvisation. Rather than chasing the muscular athleticism common among many players of her era, she tends to let an active imagination unfold at a measured pace. Her first three recordings for Jane Street—Up & Coming in 2001, Three Feel in 2002, and Colors in 2004—drew the attention of bassist and composer William Parker along with pianist and composer Matthew Shipp. Parker invited her into his debut piano-trio venture, Luc’s Lantern, as well as his Raining on the Moon Ensemble, whose Corn Meal Dance received widespread critical praise. She has since contributed to numerous Parker sessions and joined him on international tours. Shipp, equally struck by her playing, recruited her for the 2006 trio album Cobalt Blue on Thirsty Ear’s Blue Series. After her AUM Fidelity debut, Duologue, in 2008, she became a steady presence on the label, issuing more than half a dozen trio discs with bassist David Ambrosio and drummer Ikuo Takeuchi—among them In Each Day, Something Good in 2010, Firefly in 2013, and Life in 2016—while also maintaining other projects, a longstanding residency at Arthur’s Tavern in New York’s Greenwich Village, and an active teaching schedule that has taken her to students across the United States, Japan, Europe, and North Africa.
Born in Osaka, Eri Yamamoto began classical piano studies at age three and was already composing original pieces by eight. Throughout her schooling she continued training on piano, viola, and voice while studying composition, yet a 1995 visit to the United States changed her direction when she happened to hear jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan; that encounter convinced her she had discovered the music she wished to pursue. Later the same year she entered the New School’s Jazz and Contemporary Music program despite having trained exclusively in classical repertoire. In 2000 she began a regular trio engagement at Arthur’s Tavern in Greenwich Village. The following year she released her first album, Up & Coming, on Jane Street. Two further releases on the label, Three Feel in 2002 and Colors in 2004, earned strong critical notice. During this period she met bassist and composer William Parker as well as pianist and composer Matthew Shipp, both of whom were impressed by her lyrical focus and technical command. Parker chose her for Luc’s Lantern, his initial piano-trio project. In 2006 Shipp, deeply admiring her work, featured her on Thirsty Ear’s Blue Series with the trio recording Cobalt Blue. Two years afterward she rejoined Parker for Corn Meal Dance, one of his most celebrated dates, and made her AUM Fidelity bow with Duologue, a set of improvised duets alongside Parker, Hamid Drake, and Federico Ughi; the trio album Redwoods appeared shortly thereafter. She also appeared on drummer Whit Dickey’s Emergence in 2009. The next year she issued the duo recording Pianos with Yves Léveillé on Effendi Records and the trio session In Each Day, Something Good on AUM. While leading her own ensemble and continuing with Parker—documented on Wood Flute Songs in 2013—she served as pianist in Ughi’s quartet for Songs for Four Cities in 2012 and Before the Songs in 2015. Further activity included the 2012 release The Next Page and the widely praised Firefly in 2013. Over the ensuing years she sustained her Arthur’s Tavern residency, toured extensively, recorded with Parker on For Those Who Are, Still in 2015 and The Great Spirit in 2016, and issued Life with her trio.
One year later, while vacuuming at home, Yamamoto found herself humming the traditional circle-dance song “Goshu Ondo” in time with the motion of the chore. The melody, rooted in Shiga near Kyoto where her grandparents resided, evoked memories of childhood summers spent there. She recognized the circular character of the tune and its potential for choral treatment, prompting the question, “Why don’t I compose for choir?” Seated at a table, she began notating a setting for “Goshu Ondo” by hand and found she could not stop. Over three months the original two-minute song expanded into a nine-movement suite lasting roughly an hour. She forwarded a demo to Vince Peterson, founder and director of the fifty-voice Choral Chameleon; he consented to produce the work without auditioning it, so well acquainted was he with her recordings that he placed complete trust in her judgment. Following three months of joint rehearsals between the trio and choir, the piece received its premiere across two consecutive evenings. Choral Chameleon joined the trio for the recording of Goshu Ondo Suite, issued by AUM Fidelity in fall 2019. The previous summer the trio had already presented the suite with choirs throughout Europe, culminating in a notable performance at the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia alongside the Easo Choir.
Born in Osaka, Eri Yamamoto began classical piano studies at age three and was already composing original pieces by eight. Throughout her schooling she continued training on piano, viola, and voice while studying composition, yet a 1995 visit to the United States changed her direction when she happened to hear jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan; that encounter convinced her she had discovered the music she wished to pursue. Later the same year she entered the New School’s Jazz and Contemporary Music program despite having trained exclusively in classical repertoire. In 2000 she began a regular trio engagement at Arthur’s Tavern in Greenwich Village. The following year she released her first album, Up & Coming, on Jane Street. Two further releases on the label, Three Feel in 2002 and Colors in 2004, earned strong critical notice. During this period she met bassist and composer William Parker as well as pianist and composer Matthew Shipp, both of whom were impressed by her lyrical focus and technical command. Parker chose her for Luc’s Lantern, his initial piano-trio project. In 2006 Shipp, deeply admiring her work, featured her on Thirsty Ear’s Blue Series with the trio recording Cobalt Blue. Two years afterward she rejoined Parker for Corn Meal Dance, one of his most celebrated dates, and made her AUM Fidelity bow with Duologue, a set of improvised duets alongside Parker, Hamid Drake, and Federico Ughi; the trio album Redwoods appeared shortly thereafter. She also appeared on drummer Whit Dickey’s Emergence in 2009. The next year she issued the duo recording Pianos with Yves Léveillé on Effendi Records and the trio session In Each Day, Something Good on AUM. While leading her own ensemble and continuing with Parker—documented on Wood Flute Songs in 2013—she served as pianist in Ughi’s quartet for Songs for Four Cities in 2012 and Before the Songs in 2015. Further activity included the 2012 release The Next Page and the widely praised Firefly in 2013. Over the ensuing years she sustained her Arthur’s Tavern residency, toured extensively, recorded with Parker on For Those Who Are, Still in 2015 and The Great Spirit in 2016, and issued Life with her trio.
One year later, while vacuuming at home, Yamamoto found herself humming the traditional circle-dance song “Goshu Ondo” in time with the motion of the chore. The melody, rooted in Shiga near Kyoto where her grandparents resided, evoked memories of childhood summers spent there. She recognized the circular character of the tune and its potential for choral treatment, prompting the question, “Why don’t I compose for choir?” Seated at a table, she began notating a setting for “Goshu Ondo” by hand and found she could not stop. Over three months the original two-minute song expanded into a nine-movement suite lasting roughly an hour. She forwarded a demo to Vince Peterson, founder and director of the fifty-voice Choral Chameleon; he consented to produce the work without auditioning it, so well acquainted was he with her recordings that he placed complete trust in her judgment. Following three months of joint rehearsals between the trio and choir, the piece received its premiere across two consecutive evenings. Choral Chameleon joined the trio for the recording of Goshu Ondo Suite, issued by AUM Fidelity in fall 2019. The previous summer the trio had already presented the suite with choirs throughout Europe, culminating in a notable performance at the 54th Heineken Jazzaldia alongside the Easo Choir.
Albums
Singles
Live