MISAKI UMEI
TENORS IN CHAOS
STEREO CHAMP
JAPAN JAZZ NIGHTS:
Celebrating 50 Years of Australia–Japan Friendship
TENORS IN CHAOS/ STEREO CHAMP/ MISAKI UMEI
Schedule
Wed, 21 Oct. 2026
Parramatta Lanes Festival, Sydney/ Ngurra Gunya Stage
Stereo Champ
Thu, 22 Oct. 2026
Melbourne International Jazz Festival/ Chapel Off Chapel
Tenors in Chaos / Stereo Champ / Misaki Umei
Fri, 23 Oct. 2026
Molly, Canberra
Stereo Champ
Fri, 23 Oct. 2026
Brisbane International Jazz Festival/ Judith Wright Arts Centre
Tenors in Chaos / Misaki Umei
Sat, 24 Oct. 2026
Canberra Nara Candle Festival/ Canberra Nara Peace Park
Stereo Champ
Sun, 25 Oct. 2026
Perth International Jazz Festival/ Liberty Theatre
Tenors in Chaos / Misaki Umei
Thu, 29 Oct. 2026
Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival / Heaps Normal Health Club
Misaki Umei x Cracked Suzies
MISAKI UMEI
Born in 2002 and based in Tokyo, Misaki Umei is a pianist, electronic producer, and singer who graduated from Tokyo College of Music's Composition Department. Her 2025 debut album, Asleep Above Creatures, weaves piano trios and dense string arrangements with progressive electronica, featuring Brazilian virtuoso Antonio Loureiro. It earned an Apple Vinegar Award 2026 nomination and a spot among Rolling Stone's 25 "Future of Music" Japanese artists. Umei has a strong live presence with back-to-back FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL sets ('25, '26), a touring slot with Geordie Greep (Black Midi), and a 2026 solo headline show at Shibuya WWW. She regularly collaborates with Hiromi Uehara, Shun Ishiwaka, Kendrick Scott, Ohzora Kimishima, Aina The End, Daichi Yamamoto, and Skaai, alongside side projects "°pbdb" (with Fuki Kitamura) and "haruyoi" (with Shoka Sugano).
STEREO CHAMP
STEREO CHAMP is a contemporary ensemble led by Japanese guitarist and composer May Inoue, built on rhythmic precision and collective improvisation. Its music is co-written by Inoue and bassist Ren Yamamoto, whose crafted pieces serve as open frameworks for real-time interaction among the group. The lineup features May Inoue (guitar), Ren Yamamoto (bass), Shinpei Ruike (trumpet), Shota Watanabe (piano, keyboards, synthesizer, yakan), Yasushi Fukumori (drums), and James Macaulay (trombone). Rooted in jazz yet extending beyond genre, the band draws on rhythm, texture, and improvisation to create music that is sophisticated and unpredictable. Return live performance's uniqueness over fixed arrangements — each performance shaped by the energy of the moment, with every member contributing equally to an evolving dialogue.
TENORS IN CHAOS
Tenors In Chaos is a Japanese jazz supergroup uniting three tenor saxophonists: Akihiro Nishiguchi, a New York-honed soloist known for cross-genre work in film and dance; Tomoaki Baba, a Berklee-trained, Universal Music artist who performed the sax in anime film BLUE GIANT and leads his ELECTRIC RIDER project; and Yu Kuga, a top Berklee graduate and composer/arranger for acts like Mrs. GREEN APPLE. Backed by pianist David Bryant, bassist Takashi Sugawa, and drummer Kazu Odagiri, the band formed from a 2021 Kobe live event and was named by trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, who produces the group on his label aTak Records. After a sold-out Blue Note Tokyo debut and a Knower Japan Tour support slot, the group released its second album, More Chaos, in July 2025, led by an arrangement of Coltrane's "Blue Train."
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In Celebration of
