Live From Harlem, The Jazz Foundation of America Presents: Mamiko Watanabe Trio with Santi Debriano and Billy Hart. Jazz Foundation of America presents live weekly concerts free to the public from the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, pianist Mamiko Watanabe started with the piano at age four and began exploring composition at age 7. In 1999, she received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music where she received several awards for Jazz composition and piano. She was a semi-finalist at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in 2002 and 2003, and in 2003 she received the DownBeat Student Award in the Jazz Soloist Category. After moving to New York, she could often be found performing at venues like the Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at the Kitano and more. Mamiko has toured Europe and Japan and has performed with jazz greats such as Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany, and Bobby McFerrin, while releasing five albums as a leader. This performance features the same band that is on her newest release, Being Guided by the Light–a superlative trio featuring bassist Santi Debriano and NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart on drums.
