Miho Hazama

Tokyo-born/New York-based pianist and composer Miho Hazama is a lauded performer known for her sophisticated big-band and chamber jazz arrangements. Emerging in New York in the 2010s, Hazama has earned plaudits for her ambitious large-ensemble albums including 2012′s Journey to Journey, and 2018′s Dancer in Nowhere. The winner of the 2015 BMI Charlie Parker Composition Prize, she has also worked with such highly regarded ensembles as the Metropole Orkest, Danish Radio Big Band, and WDR Big Band.
A native of Tokyo, Hazama studied classical piano growing up, and earned her degree in classical composition from the Kunitachi College of Music. In 2010, she moved to New York where she attended Manhattan School of Music on a scholarship, eventually graduating with her master’s degree in jazz composition. While there, she embraced a sophisticated, forward-thinking approach to large ensemble compositions, informed by the work of contemporary artists like Maria Schneider, and Jim McNeely, the latter of whom she studied with while at MSM. In 2012, she made her debut as leader, issuing the big band and chamber jazz album Journey to Journey, which featured an appearance by vibraphonist Stefon Harris. She also picked up a number of accolades, including winning the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award in 2011, the 24th Idemitsu Music Award in 2014, and the BMI Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize in 2015.
Also in 2015, Hazama issued her sophomore big-band album, Time River. Along with her own albums, she has composed for Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ashley Bouder Project Ballet Company, and Morgaua String Quartet. In 2017, she was named the Composer in Residence of Siena Wind Orchestra. She has also worked for such esteemed outfits as the Metropole Orkest, Ryuichi Sakamoto big band, Danish Radio Big Band, WDR Big Band, and more. In 2018, she issued her third album with her thirteen-piece m_unit ensemble, Dancer in Nowhere. ~ Matt Collar