2 of 5 Tomoko Omura 3 of 5 Abe Lagrimas 4 of 5 Min Xiao-Fen 5 of 5 Taylor Ho Bynum
Tomoko Omura, Tomie s Blues
Born in Shizuoka, Japan and based in Brooklyn, NY, violinist Tomoko Omura has earned just acclaim for her command of the jazz tradition on her instrument, going back to Joe Venuti, Stéphane Grappelli and Stuff Smith. But she has also made a conscious and inspiring study of folkloric music from her homeland, notably on her albums
Roots, in 2015, and
Branches Vol. 1, in 2020. A follow-up,
Branches Vol. 2, is coming soon, featuring Omura with an ensemble that includes pianist Glenn Zaleski, guitarist Jeff Miles, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Jay Sawyer. Its most touching piece is Tomie s Blues, an original dedicated to the memory of Omura s grandmother.