Gary Burton Makoto Ozone Virtuosic
.“Thrilling, virtuosic and unabashedly personal”New York TimesMakoto Ozone is a unique force in both jazz and classical music, blending sound worlds and a host of influences into his performances. Born in Kobe, Japan, he was self-taught in jazz, under his father’s guidance, first on the organ, then piano. He first came to public attention when he gave his solo recital at the Carnegie Hall in 1983, following his graduation from Berklee College of Music. Makoto then became the first Japanese artist to sign an exclusive contract with CBS and released his first album, Ozone, a year after his Carnegie debut. No Name Horses is a big band led by pianist Makoto Ozone and made up of leading Japanese jazz musicians, most of whom are band-leaders in their own right. No Name Horses was formed in March 2004, for the CD recording of Kimiko Ito’s album Once You’ve Been In Love (Video Arts Music), produced by Makoto Ozone.
Gary Burton Makoto Ozone Virtuosi
Although the band was initially a temporary ensemble, brought together for the recording, Makoto was convinced that the quality of the band’s sound was of a worldwide level and in March 2005, No Name Horses and Kimiko Ito did the one-month tour at Blue Note jazz clubs all over Japan, celebrating the release of the album.