Emi Meyer
Encyclopedia
Emi Meyer is a Japanese-born, American-raised Jazz
pianist and vocalist based in Seattle and Tokyo
, active in both the Japanese and American markets.
, Japan, but grew up in Seattle, USA. Her father is American while her mother is Japanese and a professor of Art History
. Meyer began learning classical piano age six but expanded to Jazz.
Meyer studied ethnomusicology
and roots music in Los Angeles
, including Indian ragas, African drumming and Japanese gagaku
(classical court music). She wrote her thesis on the division in the modern Japanese music scene between hogaku (Japanese music) and yogaku (Western music).
She first lived in Japan when she took a study-abroad program in the city of her birth, Kyoto.In 2007 Meyer won the Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition, which kickstarted her career in Japan.
Japan jazz chart after the single "Room Blue" was selected as the Single of the Week. She was already actively performing at events such as the Seattle’s Northwest Folklife Festival, the Sundance Film Festival
and Kobe Jazz Festival.
Living in Los Angeles, Emi has performed around Hollywood, including: The Hotel Café, The Tangier, and Room 5. In Seattle, she has performed at The Pink Door, Tula’s, and Dimitrio’s Jazz Alley, and in New York at the Rockwood Music Hall as well as the 92YTribeca with The Shanghai Restoration Project
.
In 2009 Meyer performed as the opening act for Yael Naim
's tour in Tokyo, and also played at the Fuji Rock Festival
.
For her second album Passport, written entirely in Japanese, Meyer teamed up with Japanese rapper and producer Shingo Annen (better known by his stage name Shing02
). The record has influences from Brazil
, where overdubs were recorded, and incorporates bossa nova
and reggae
.
In 2011 Meyer released her third album Suitcase of Stones, this time in English and described as a mix of "Jazz, blues and reggae-influenced original compositions" and produced by Grammy winning engineer S. Husky Höskulds
(Norah Jones
, Yael Naim
).
Meyer began her 2011 tour of Japan on May 21st, as well as performing showcases at Tower Records stores nationwide. She embarked on the tour despite trepidation after fans sent her messages concerned that artists were staying away from Japan following the March 11th 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist and vocalist based in Seattle and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, active in both the Japanese and American markets.
Background
Meyer was born in KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan, but grew up in Seattle, USA. Her father is American while her mother is Japanese and a professor of Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
. Meyer began learning classical piano age six but expanded to Jazz.
Meyer studied ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
and roots music in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, including Indian ragas, African drumming and Japanese gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
(classical court music). She wrote her thesis on the division in the modern Japanese music scene between hogaku (Japanese music) and yogaku (Western music).
She first lived in Japan when she took a study-abroad program in the city of her birth, Kyoto.In 2007 Meyer won the Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition, which kickstarted her career in Japan.
Professional Career
Meyer's 2007 self-produced debut album, Curious Creature reached the #1 spot on the iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Japan jazz chart after the single "Room Blue" was selected as the Single of the Week. She was already actively performing at events such as the Seattle’s Northwest Folklife Festival, the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and Kobe Jazz Festival.
Living in Los Angeles, Emi has performed around Hollywood, including: The Hotel Café, The Tangier, and Room 5. In Seattle, she has performed at The Pink Door, Tula’s, and Dimitrio’s Jazz Alley, and in New York at the Rockwood Music Hall as well as the 92YTribeca with The Shanghai Restoration Project
Shanghai Restoration Project
The Shanghai Restoration Project is a contemporary electronic music group formed by Chinese American producer Dave Liang. The group's first eponymous release, inspired by the Shanghai jazz bands of the 1930s, combines traditional Chinese instruments with modern hip-hop and...
.
In 2009 Meyer performed as the opening act for Yael Naim
Yael Naim
Yael Naïm , is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Biography:Yael Naïm was born in Paris, France to Tunisian Jewish...
's tour in Tokyo, and also played at the Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
.
For her second album Passport, written entirely in Japanese, Meyer teamed up with Japanese rapper and producer Shingo Annen (better known by his stage name Shing02
Shing02
Shingo Annen , better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese rap artist and producer. Due in part to growing up in Western cities, Shing02 stands as one of the few multilingual rappers from Japan able to compose songs entirely in either Japanese or English...
). The record has influences from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where overdubs were recorded, and incorporates bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
In 2011 Meyer released her third album Suitcase of Stones, this time in English and described as a mix of "Jazz, blues and reggae-influenced original compositions" and produced by Grammy winning engineer S. Husky Höskulds
S. Husky Höskulds
S. Husky Höskulds is a Grammy Award–winning audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California.He moved to Los Angeles in 1991, to study audio engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles...
(Norah Jones
Norah Jones
Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, Yael Naim
Yael Naim
Yael Naïm , is a French-Israeli singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Biography:Yael Naïm was born in Paris, France to Tunisian Jewish...
).
Meyer began her 2011 tour of Japan on May 21st, as well as performing showcases at Tower Records stores nationwide. She embarked on the tour despite trepidation after fans sent her messages concerned that artists were staying away from Japan following the March 11th 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.