Ko-may Shibata Profile 

柴田コウメイプロフィール写真


Jazz pianist and jazz theory researcher.
After graduating from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, he went to the U.S. and graduated from Berklee College of Music, where he won the first prize in the jazz category of the New York Bacchus Music Competition in 1983. He then worked as a pianist in New York, and after returning to Japan, he immersed himself in the study of music theory.

He studied jazz chord theory, developed chord scales, explored performance techniques, and analyzed classical music through jazz theory, releasing a solo album "JAZZ ROCKET" in 2013; a duo album "Hizamakura" with singer Keiko Sakata in 2015; a soprano in 2017 album "Shun" with singer Kumiko Takano: A Progressive Opera" was released. In the same year, he released the duo album "The Language of Jazz" with jazz guitarist Nea; in 2018, "JAZZ ROCKET2"; and in 2019, the manouche jazz album "Djazz" with guitarist Tomoki Inoue. Both of these albums received high acclaim from jazz magazines.

Known for his free-spirited improvisation, multifaceted expressiveness, and sensual sound backed by a natural sense of rhythm, he is also popular on the web, with more than 7,000 YouTube subscribers. in 2020, he moved to Yoshino Town, Nara Prefecture. from 2021, he serves as chairman of the Yoshino Music Festival Executive Committee.