Search - Eri Yamamoto :: Cobalt Blue

Eri Yamamoto is a force to be reckoned with in the New York jazz scene. Her playing is quirky and original, but also executed flawlessly. Honing her skills in jazz clubs throughout Manhattan and beyond, Eri has risen in the ranks before the eyes of even the most puritanical of the jazz world at large. Her trademark piano style contains precision, the mechanical understanding of the music and also feeling and a love of innovation.
Eri was born in Osaka, Japan, and began playing classical piano at age three. She started writing music when only eight years old, and studied voice, viola and composition through her high school and college years. In 1995, she decided New York for the first time, and by chance hear Tommy Flanagan performing. It was her first experience of a jazz piano trio, and she was so inspired that she decided on the spot that she would move to New York City and dedicate herself to this music.
Later that year, Eri entered the New School University's prestigious jazz program, where she studied with Junior Mance, Lee Ann Ledgerwood, and Reggie Workman. While still in school, she played many gigs around New York. In 1999 she started playing regularly at the Avenue B Social Club, a popular spot among jazz musicians in the East Village. There she developed a musical friendship with fellow pianist Matthew Shipp.
Along with bandmates David Abrosio on bass and Ikuo Takeuchi on drums, Eri Delivers performances on this record that burn with imaginative riffing and interplay between the musicians. Never afraid to experiment, Eri pursues works by George Gershwin and Cole Porter as well as a Japanese folk song, fearlessly and with a unique flare. Her originals are no less of a departure, and within them are contained some of the most ferocious piano playing you may ever witness.