Jazz interview with jazz pianist Miho Sasaki. An interview by email in writing.
JazzBluesNews.com: – First let’s start with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music?
Miho Sasaki: – I grew up in Tokyo, Japan. I got interested in playing piano when I was 5 because my friend showed me to play.
JBN: – How did your sound evolve over time? What did you do to find and develop your sound?
MS: – It came very naturally. I sound like how I feel.
JBN: – What practice routine or exercise have you developed to maintain and improve your current musical ability especially pertaining to rhythm?
MS: – Playing with metronome, backing track, and recordings.
JBN: – How to prevent disparate influences from coloring what you’re doing?
MS: – Nothing because if I try to mimic someone else, still it sounds myself.
JBN: – How do you prepare before your performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?
MS: – Keeping my body and mind healthy and clam, enough warming up, and learning tunes enough.
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JBN: – What’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?
MS: – For me, soul generates your curiosity, and the curiosity forms your intelligence.
JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; you’re okay with giving the people what they want?
MS: – Both audience and artists want what they expected and unexpected.
JBN: – Please any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions which you’d like to share with us?
MS: – I had great experiences to play with great musicians in New York City and talk with them about jazz.
JBN: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of the standard tunes are ahalf a century old?
MS: – I think the jazz standards are just amazing. I especially like the relationship between chords and melody. They might need to get interested about the history, too.
JBN: – John Coltrane said that music was his spirit. How do you understand the spirit and the meaning of life?
MS: – This question is a little far away from music. I believe I’m a spiritual person but I can’t answer this question as my interview. Sorry.
JBN: – If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?
MS: – Nothing.
JBN: – Who do you find yourself listening to these days?
MS: – Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young.
JBN: – What is the message you choose to bring through your music?
MS: – Freedom and love.
JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go?
MS: – Edo period in Japan, and Storyville in New Orleans.
Interview by Simon Sargsyan
