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Jazz pianist Miki Kono actually began her musical journey in the classical realm when she began studying piano at age eight. In her teens, she developed a real interest in the "Cansone" - traditional Italian folk music. Her taste for jazz developed during her college years, when she became a fan of Sonny Clark, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones. In college, she played with the big band and jazz ensemble at Hokkaido University, where she was an agriculture and economics major.
Her professional music career began in Sapporo and later Tokyo, where she studied under renown Japanese pianist Sadayasu Fuji. She soon joined bands led by tenor Hidehiko Matsumoto and clarinetist Eji Kitamura. These associations kept her active in the local jazz clubs, hotel and concert circuit. Being a fan of so many jazz artists, Kono had the opportunity to meet a number of them when they toured Japan. As a result, she became friends with such luminaries as Al Foster, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, and her favorite jazzman, Hank Jones.
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In 1983, Kono met drummer Joe Chambers, who was touring with Freddie Hubbard. She also became acquainted with bassist Rufus Reid, who had been touring with trombonist J.J. Johnson. It was in early 1996 that Miki conceived the idea for the album that would become "For My Mother". She had long wanted to record with Chambers and Reid, and six months later, in October, 1996, she came to New York and recorded this, her third release.
She visited New York often through years, and loves the energy the city offers so freely to all. Her first album, "My Secret Life", was released in 1992, and was inspired by jazz pianist Kenny Barron. Her second effort, "Manhattan Dreams" releases in 1994, continued to explore the influential people and places in her life, including her "idol", Hank Jones, and of course the Big Apple.
Kono originally issued her releases in Japan under her own Miki Records simply because she wanted to get her musical messages out to the world. She never expected success, or even others to respond. But with compositions that speak simply and purely from the heart, the world is sure to stand up and take notice.
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