Megumi Yonezawa hails from Hokkaido in Japan. At six years old, she began playing classical piano. Megumi graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music. She studied double majors in jazz composition and performance at Berklee. Megumi has been awarded numerous prestigious awards, including the Clare Fisher Award, Jazz Performance Awards and Techniques Endowed Scholarship. Megumi was awarded a scholarship by Japan after she graduated from Berklee. She was a trainee at the Hokkaido Cultural Foundation Outseas Artist Training. Megumi was able to continue her research on jazz music in America thanks to her scholarship. Jason Moran recommended Megumi and she became Greg Osby’s regular pianist. While playing piano for Greg Osby’s band, Megumi gained many performance opportunities. She was able to perform at prestigious venues like The Village Vanguard and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall. Osby has recorded with her and other jazz artists, including Joan Osborne, Robert Harst and Rodney Green. She also plays in Fresh Sound New Talent recording artist Jostein Gulbrandsen’s group, Grammy-winning bassist Phil Palombi, and ex-Jean Luc Ponty sideman Thierry Alpino. Megumi was also an artist in residence at Wildacres North Carolina in 2010/11. Megumi is the leader of Fresh Sound New Talent and has recorded her debut with her own trio, which includes John Hebert on bass and Eric McPherson drums. from www.freshsoundrecords.com
