Hideo Shiraki
Encyclopedia
Hideo Shiraki was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, best known for his work in the 1950s and 1960s. Famed earlier on for hard bop
, he later explored world jazz.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, his quintet was popular in Japan and was associated with the "funky boom" craze for hard bop
. Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, Terumasa Hino
and Yuzuru Sera all passed through his quintet.
Notable albums include 1961's In Fiesta (Teichiku Japan), which included a version of Benny Golson
's "Five Spot After Dark". Performers on the album included Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano.
1965's Sakura Sakura united the quintet (including Terumasa Hino on trumpet) with three female koto
players as Shiraki moved into a world jazz approach. An invited November 1965 performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival, organised by Joachim-Ernst Berendt
, saw the quintet work with a koto quartet and was feted for mixing jazz with traditional Japanese music.
He also played with Toshiko Akiyoshi
, including two tracks on her 1961 album Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals
.
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
, he later explored world jazz.
Biography
Shiraki emerged in the new Japanese jazz scene of the 1950s that grew out of the influence of the US occupying forces. He studied percussion at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and, during this period, played with Masashi Nagao's Blue Coats.In the late 1950s and early 1960s, his quintet was popular in Japan and was associated with the "funky boom" craze for hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
. Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, Terumasa Hino
Terumasa Hino
is a Japanese jazz trumpeter. Currently based in New York, Hino is widely acknowledged as one of Japan's finest jazz musicians. His instruments include the trumpet, cornet and flügelhorn.-Biography:...
and Yuzuru Sera all passed through his quintet.
Notable albums include 1961's In Fiesta (Teichiku Japan), which included a version of Benny Golson
Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
's "Five Spot After Dark". Performers on the album included Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano.
1965's Sakura Sakura united the quintet (including Terumasa Hino on trumpet) with three female koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
players as Shiraki moved into a world jazz approach. An invited November 1965 performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival, organised by Joachim-Ernst Berendt
Joachim-Ernst Berendt
Joachim-Ernst Berendt was a German music journalist, book author and producer specialized on Jazz.-Life:...
, saw the quintet work with a koto quartet and was feted for mixing jazz with traditional Japanese music.
He also played with Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
, including two tracks on her 1961 album Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals
Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals
The jazz album Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals was recorded by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi in Tokyo in March 1961 and released by King Records in Japan...
.