Yayoi Ikawa

This weeks special guest is Yayoi Ikawa. cry in music so that people don’t have to cry alone”. Born in Tokyo, Japan, but raised musically in New York, Yayoi is an experience in ingenuity and compassion. Yayoi’s open-minded attitude that New York City nurtured in her and brought her to the world, and not only to tour with her New York colleagues, but also enabled Yayoi to start collaboration projects with local musicians around the world. As a pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, Yayoi has worked in many countries with her own projects as well as with such
legendary artists as Reggie Workman, Michael Carvin, Howard Johnson, Craig Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Emeline Michael, Emeline Michel, James Germain, Daniel Bernard Roumain, The Meditations, Meta and the cornerstones, Kaissa etc.

After recording a straight ahead jazz piano trio on Nippon Crown release “Angel Eyes” in 2004, she self produced “Color of Dreams” in 2005 displaying her original compositions. The trio toured in Japan and Italy. In 2008, Yayoi started “The Bridge Project” to create musical dialogue between New York and international musicians in an experimental environment. In 2009, the
project toured in Costa Rica through a sponsorship of U.S. Embassy. In 2018, Yayoi was invited to participate in Piano Kon Sa Ka Ekri, a piano festival in Martinique where she performed duos with three other female pianists. She started to collaborate with local musicians immediately, and the quartet performed at Première Rencontre Autour du Piano in Guadeloupe. In 2019,
Yayoi’s bridge project featuring Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel was featured in Sakura Matsuri, a celebration of Japanese culture in Brooklyn Botanical Garden. During 2020-21, she worked with producer Jim Luce as an assistant producer / host for a streaming concert series “Love letter from NY”. The shows featured NY’s finest jazz pianists and aired in the USA and Japan.

In 2023, yayoi was invited to The KZN International Jazz festival in Durban, South Africa. Her performance led to a successful nation-wide trio tour with South African Musicians in just a few months. She was also featured in UNESCO International Jazz Day concert in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Yayoi was also featured during the International Women Day celebration in Cotonou,
Benin in collaboration with percussionist Jah Baba.

While working towards her master degree at NYU, Yayoi’s orchestra work for film premiered at Lincoln Center in 2007. As a composer and arranger, Yayoi received commissions from the Modern Music Society of Tokyo, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Montreal based sculptor David Baumflek.

Yayoi enjoys teaching piano and songwriting at her home, as well as coaching choirs at local community centers and churches. She studied piano with Gerald D’Angelo, LeeAnn Ledgerwood and Geri Allen at The New School University, and graduated with a scholarship.

She also holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Her musical activities can be seen on her website www.yayoiikawa.net

This weeks special guest is Yayoi Ikawa. cry in music so that people don’t have to cry alone”. Born in Tokyo, Japan, but raised musically in New York, Yayoi is an experience in ingenuity and compassion. Yayoi’s open-minded attitude that New York City nurtured in her and brought her to the world, and not only to tour with her New York colleagues, but also enabled Yayoi to start collaboration projects with local musicians around the world. As a pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader, Yayoi has worked in many countries with her own projects as well as with such legendary artists as Reggie Workman, Michael Carvin, Howard Johnson, Craig Harris, Lonnie Plaxico, Emeline Michael, Emeline Michel, James Germain, Daniel Bernard Roumain, The Meditations, Meta and the cornerstones, Kaissa etc. After recording a straight ahead jazz piano trio on Nippon Crown release “Angel Eyes” in 2004, she self produced “Color of Dreams” in 2005 displaying her original compositions. The trio toured in Japan and Italy. In 2008, Yayoi started “The Bridge Project” to create musical dialogue between New York and international musicians in an experimental environment. In 2009, the project toured in Costa Rica through a sponsorship of U.S. Embassy. In 2018, Yayoi was invited to participate in Piano Kon Sa Ka Ekri, a piano festival in Martinique where she performed duos with three other female pianists. She started to collaborate with local musicians immediately, and the quartet performed at Première Rencontre Autour du Piano in Guadeloupe. In 2019, Yayoi’s bridge project featuring Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel was featured in Sakura Matsuri, a celebration of Japanese culture in Brooklyn Botanical Garden. During 2020-21, she worked with producer Jim Luce as an assistant producer / host for a streaming concert series “Love letter from NY”. The shows featured NY’s finest jazz pianists and aired in the USA and Japan. In 2023, yayoi was invited to The KZN International Jazz festival in Durban, South Africa. Her performance led to a successful nation-wide trio tour with South African Musicians in just a few months. She was also featured in UNESCO International Jazz Day concert in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Yayoi was also featured during the International Women Day celebration in Cotonou, Benin in collaboration with percussionist Jah Baba. While working towards her master degree at NYU, Yayoi’s orchestra work for film premiered at Lincoln Center in 2007. As a composer and arranger, Yayoi received commissions from the Modern Music Society of Tokyo, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Montreal based sculptor David Baumflek. Yayoi enjoys teaching piano and songwriting at her home, as well as coaching choirs at local community centers and churches. She studied piano with Gerald D’Angelo, LeeAnn Ledgerwood and Geri Allen at The New School University, and graduated with a scholarship. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Her musical activities can be seen on her website www.yayoiikawa.net