Yosuke Yamashita New York Trio: Pacific Crossing

Tradition meets modern when world-renowned jazz pianist Yosuke Yamashita performs in his trio with Cecil McBee (bass) and Pheerooan akLaff (drums) and special Japanese masters of traditional instruments in this unique concert of Yamashita’s original jazz adaptations of Japanese folk songs.
Reflecting a deep and rich range of influences from ancient shamisen melody lines to the rhythms of obon dances fused with jazz sensibility, the repertoire will be fleshed out by Kiyohiko Semba performing Japanese percussion and Meisho Tosha on traditional flute.
The music is performed with a visual projection installation of rare archival images lent by the Yokohama City Central Library in Yokohama, where the U.S.-Japan Treaty was signed in 1854 and where one of the first ports of entry opened to foreigners at the dawn of Japan’s exchange with the West, just before the Meiji era.
Pre-performance lecture by William Minor, author of Jazz Journeys to Japan, begins one hour before show times, free to ticket holders.