Tadataka Unno
Tadataka Unno 海野 雅威 | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | 海野 雅威 (Unno Tadataka) |
| Born | 15 August 1980 Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Website | www |
Tadataka Unno (海野 雅威, Unno Tadataka; born 15 August 1980) is a Japanese jazz pianist.[1]
Career[edit]
Tadataka Unno was born in Tokyo. He started playing jazz at age 9 and attended the Tokyo University of the Arts.[2] Unno began his career by joining the trio of Japanese jazz musician Yoshio Suzuki and played professionally in Japan for the next 10 years.[3] In 2008, Unno moved to New York City and lived in Harlem. In 2010, Unno was recommended to play at the Jazz Rising Stars Program of Ravinia Festival by Nathan Davis and Curtis Fuller. He also worked for two years with jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and is currently a member of the Jimmy Cobb Trio, Clifton Anderson quartet, and John Pizzarelli Trio.[4]
Unno has performed at the Kennedy Center, Blue Note Jazz Club, and Village Vanguard. He has released six jazz albums including Journeyer, which was recorded with American musicians Hassan J.J. Shakur and Jerome Jennings.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Unno is married and has a child.[5]
When Hank Jones passed away in May 2010, Unno was at his deathbed.[6]
2020 racist attack[edit]
In September 2020, Unno was attacked in a hate crime incident by a group of eight teenagers while exiting a subway station in Harlem, New York City.[5] He required surgery for broken bones and had suffered permanent injuries. Against the backdrop of the sharp increase in anti-Asian sentiment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the attackers had made assumptions that Unno was Chinese and uttered anti-Asian profanities.[7][8][9]
After the incident, he stated that he intended to return to Japan, adding that "My wife and I worry about raising kids here [In the United States], especially after this happened."[10] Following surgery and physical therapy, he has since been able to perform before audiences once again.[11]
Discography[edit]
As leader/co-leader[edit]
- Pee Ka Boo! (What's New, 2004)
- My Romance - The first sketch of Tadataka Unno (Sony Music, 2008)
- As Time Goes By (Zzjaplus, 2010)
- Plays Jazz Standards - Solo Piano (Zzjaplus, 2011)
- Journeyer (self-released, 2014)
- Danro with Yutaka Yoshida (Somethin' Cool, 2018)
- Get My Mojo Back (Verve, 2022) – come-back work
As sideman[edit]
- Gen Hoshio, I Wanna Be Your Ghost (SPEEDSTAR RECORDS（Victor Entertainment), 2022)
- Clifton Anderson, Been Down This Road Before (BSMF, 2020)
- George DeLancey, Paradise (self-released, 2020)
- Ken Fowser, Morning Light (Posi-Tone, 2020)
- Stephanie Sellars, Girl Who Loves (CD Baby, 2019)
- Jimmy Cobb, Remembering U featuring Roy Hargrove (Jimmy Cobb World, 2019)
- Dan Block, Block Party (Miles High, 2018)
- Luca Stoll, MONO Live in Vevey (CD Baby, 2015)
- Nick Hempton, Catch and Release (Triple-Distilled, 2015)
- Eyal Vilner Big Band, Almost Sunrise (Gut String, 2015)
- Clovis Nicolas, Nine Stories (Sunnyside, 2014)
- Winard Harper and Jeli Posse, Coexist (Jazz Legacy Productions, 2012)
- Ben Powell, New Street (self-released, 2012)
- Jimmy Cobb, Remembering Miles (Sony Music, 2011)
- Jacob Melchior, It's about time (CD Baby, 2010)
- Takao Iwaki, Introducing Takao Iwaki (White Sands, 2010)
- Tiffany, Yesterday & Yesterdays (Eighty-Eight's, 2009)
- Tiffany, Amazing Grace (Eighty-Eight's, 2008)
- Shunsuke Umino, Beautiful Friendship (Musical Dog, 2008)
- Masahiko Osaka, Hommage (M&I, 2008)
- Yoshio "Chin" Suzuki, For You featuring Tadataka Unno (55, 2007)
- Tiffany, My Favorite Things (Eighty-Eight's, 2007)
- Tiffany, The Nearness of You (Eighty-Eight's, 2006)
- Yoichi Kobayashi Quintet, Culture Shock (M&I, 2006)
- Tomio Morota Sextet, Tommy a go go (MHVP, 2006)
- Tomio Morota Sextet, Sir Horace (MHVP, 2006)
- Akiko, Simply Blue (Verve, 2005)
- Baby Boo, Ubugoe Onsen 3 Christmas Cover Songs (Universal Music Japan, 2004)
- Yoshiko Fukuda, Sukiyaki (Sera Music, 2003)
Other appearances[edit]
- V.A. from Aoyama Body & Soul, Onajimi-kyoku (お馴染み曲) – Well Known Melody (Body & Soul, 2008)
- V.A. from Aoyama Body & Soul, 3P The Trio (Body & Soul, 2007)
- V.A. from Aoyama Body & Soul, 5 Female Vocalists (Body & Soul, 2007)
- V.A., ChristmaSwing (Avex, 2004)
References[edit]
- ^ "海野雅威". JAZZ SPOT 「DOLPHY」. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "海野雅威". Tower Records Online Japan Inc.
- ^ a b Unno, Tadataka. "Tadataka Unno Official Site".
- ^ Leland, John (22 October 2020). "He Was a Rising Jazz Pianist. Then His N.Y.C. Dreams Were Shattered". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ a b Barone, Vincent (10 October 2020). "Acclaimed jazz pianist attacked by teens in subway station".
- ^ "Tadataka Unno". Tadataka Unno. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Japanese Jazz Pianist Tadataka Unno Badly Injured After Attack In Subway". 10 October 2020.
- ^ Anna Sturla and Alec Snyder. "Japanese jazz pianist recovering from surgery after New York subway attack". CNN.
- ^ "Japanese Musician Attacked In Racist Attack – Thought To Be Chinese". 8 October 2020.
- ^ Leland, John (22 October 2020). "He Was a Rising Jazz Pianist. Then His N.Y.C. Dreams Were Shattered". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation Presents Pianist Unno in Aurora Benefit Concert in L.A.", Rafu Shimpo, 24 November 2021
