Tadataka Unno (original) (raw)

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Japanese jazz pianist

Tadataka Unno海野 雅威
Born 海野 雅威 (Unno Tadataka) (1980-08-15) 15 August 1980 (age 45)Tokyo, Japan
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician, composer
Instrument Piano
Years active 1998–present
Website www.tadatakaunno.com

Musical artist

Tadataka Unno (海野 雅威, Unno Tadataka; born 15 August 1980) is a Japanese jazz pianist.[1]

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]

Unno is married and has a child.[5]

When Hank Jones died in May 2010, Unno was at his deathbed.[6]

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]

As leader/co-leader

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  1. ^ "海野雅威". JAZZ SPOT 「DOLPHY」. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. ^ "海野雅威". Tower Records Online Japan Inc.
  3. ^ a b Unno, Tadataka. "Tadataka Unno Official Site".
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Barone, Vincent (10 October 2020). "Acclaimed jazz pianist attacked by teens in subway station".
  6. ^ "Tadataka Unno". Tadataka Unno. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Japanese Jazz Pianist Tadataka Unno Badly Injured After Attack In Subway". 10 October 2020.
  8. ^ Anna Sturla and Alec Snyder. "Japanese jazz pianist recovering from surgery after New York subway attack". CNN.
  9. ^ "Japanese Musician Attacked In Racist Attack – Thought To Be Chinese". 8 October 2020.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Japanese Language Scholarship Foundation Presents Pianist Unno in Aurora Benefit Concert in L.A.", Rafu Shimpo, 24 November 2021