NAOMI NAKANISHI

A dynamic pianist, improviser, and composer, Naomi Nakanishi invites their listener with distinguishable melodies, sonorous harmonies and unconventional phrasing.   They have performed at major festivals such as the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival and the national Jazz Education Network Conference with both big bands and small groups.  Naomi has worked with artists such as Joe Lovano, Kris Davis, Gerald Clayton, Adam Cruz, Danilo Pérez, Tia Fuller, and Linda Oh. They have also shared the stage with world renowned jazz musicians such as Miguel Zenón, Jimmy Cobb, DeeDee Bridgewater, Nat Reeves, and Tanya Darby. As a queer, Asian American musician Naomi is an equal rights advocate implementing projects on social justice issues through original compositions and poetry.  In 2019 Naomi was selected to participate in the Washington Women in Jazz: Young Artist Showcase as well as the Women in Jazz Organization Mentorship Program studying with Rachel Z. Hakim.  They are also the recipient of the 2020 Hal Leonard Collegiate Scholarship through the Jazz Education Network and was recently selected to participate in the 2022 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Residency at the Kennedy Center.  

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