Biography Makiko Hirabayashi

Makiko Hirabayashi (born 1966) is a Japanese jazz pianist based in Denmark.[1] She started to play the piano at the age of four, and subsequently violin at nine. As a teenager, she became interested in composing film music and won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she became more involved with jazz and improvisation. After graduation, she moved to Copenhagen to start her career as a pianist and composer.

Her compositions are inspired by elements from classical music, jazz, music from the Far East and the Nordic moods.

Her trio, featuring drummer/percussionist Marilyn Mazur (Miles Davis Group 85-89, Jan Garbarek Group 91-05) and bassist Klavs Hovman, has been her main focus in the recent years, where she established her unique sound through performances in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Makiko Hirabayashi Trio’s 4th album “Where The Sea Breaks” was released in March 2018 on Enja/Yellowbird Records, featuring the Danish trumpet/flügelhorn player Jakob Buchanan on 4 tracks.

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