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Fumio Karashima

Japanese jazz pianist and composer. Born March 9, 1948 in Oita, Japan; died February 24, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. After moving to Tokyo, he became a member of [a1145517]'s group. On the occasion of performing with [a135885] in 1978, Karashima became a member of [a=The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine] and played in the band for six years. From that time onwards, he was actively performing in the jazz scene in the U.S. and Europe, and established a solid position as one of the top pianists in the world. He also began a friendship with the same generation jazz great [a322166], and formed a trio with him. After that, he broke new ground in playing the solo piano, and continued to develop his skill as a solo pianist. In 1988, he formed the [a2933996] which has been highly acclaimed as a genuine jazz quintet. He was also invited as a soloist by Japan’s top orchestras such as [a4106437], [a3315578] and [a1490932], and gave an excellent performance of “Rhapsody in Blue”. In 1994, he released his album “In San Francisco” on which [a261295] participated as a member. After that, he released “Open the Gate” with all-star performers including [a119483]. Also in 1999, he released “Rencontre”, a duo album with a harmonica virtuoso [a120623]. In this album, he had shown an excellent piano technique that was a bit different from his piano solo works. After that, he formed a new trio with [a1948924] and [a1688229], and released “The Elysian Air” in 2002 and “It’s Just Beginning” in 2004, both of which were highly acclaimed as masterpieces of piano trio. Also, his live recording from a duo concert with [a288785] “Grand New Touch” made a real hit of jazz piano. His later works include his collaboration with [a238626] “Great Time”, his standard solo album “Moon River” in which he played a Fazioli piano regarded as the best piano manufactured in Italy, and his tribute album to Elvin Jones “E. J. Blues – Fumio Karashima meets Takeo Moriyama”.

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