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Music That Heals You
This episode is supported by JapanCulture•NYC, the English-language website about all things Japanese in New York City.
Susan sits down with jazz composer and big band conductor Migiwa "Miggy" Miyajima in the lower-level green room at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in Midtown Manhattan. Born and raised in Ibaraki Prefecture, Miggy was creative and exceptionally talented as a classical pianist. However, throughout her childhood, she was curious about other facets of life beyond music, so she refused to commit her life to become a professional musician. Instead of majoring in music, she studied education at Sophia University in Tokyo, where she experienced a physical ailment that was cured only after joining the university jazz big band. After graduation, she entered the corporate world, becoming Editor-in-Chief of the popular travel publication Jalan, and continued jazz as a weekend hobby. Miggy composed original pieces and received positive reinforcement from her audiences, and unsatisfied with her day job, she eventually pursued music professionally at age 30. She moved to New York in 2012, the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and that event made a lasting impact on her career, inspiring a forthcoming piece that features the narratives of the survivors. Big band represents the combination of individuality and teamwork, and Miggy shares her method of telling stories without lyrics. Miggy has been nominated for two Grammy Awards for her work with Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and leads the 17-piece big band jazz group Miggy Augmented Orchestra.
This episode features three tracks from the album Colorful (2018) by Miggy Augmented Orchestra. The title track celebrates how everyone is unique and features Quinsin Nachoff on tenor saxophone as well as a sequence of two-bar solos by every member of the band. Inspired by the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, "Hope for Hope" evokes how one person's good deeds can ripple to affect many others and features David Smith on trumpet and Alejandro Aviles on soprano saxophone. The episode closes with the album's introductory track and roller coaster of frequency and rhythm "Ready?" featuring Carl Maraghi on baritone saxophone and Jeb Patton on piano.
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By Toshiki NakashigeThis episode is supported by JapanCulture•NYC, the English-language website about all things Japanese in New York City.
Susan sits down with jazz composer and big band conductor Migiwa "Miggy" Miyajima in the lower-level green room at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club in Midtown Manhattan. Born and raised in Ibaraki Prefecture, Miggy was creative and exceptionally talented as a classical pianist. However, throughout her childhood, she was curious about other facets of life beyond music, so she refused to commit her life to become a professional musician. Instead of majoring in music, she studied education at Sophia University in Tokyo, where she experienced a physical ailment that was cured only after joining the university jazz big band. After graduation, she entered the corporate world, becoming Editor-in-Chief of the popular travel publication Jalan, and continued jazz as a weekend hobby. Miggy composed original pieces and received positive reinforcement from her audiences, and unsatisfied with her day job, she eventually pursued music professionally at age 30. She moved to New York in 2012, the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and that event made a lasting impact on her career, inspiring a forthcoming piece that features the narratives of the survivors. Big band represents the combination of individuality and teamwork, and Miggy shares her method of telling stories without lyrics. Miggy has been nominated for two Grammy Awards for her work with Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and leads the 17-piece big band jazz group Miggy Augmented Orchestra.
This episode features three tracks from the album Colorful (2018) by Miggy Augmented Orchestra. The title track celebrates how everyone is unique and features Quinsin Nachoff on tenor saxophone as well as a sequence of two-bar solos by every member of the band. Inspired by the events of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, "Hope for Hope" evokes how one person's good deeds can ripple to affect many others and features David Smith on trumpet and Alejandro Aviles on soprano saxophone. The episode closes with the album's introductory track and roller coaster of frequency and rhythm "Ready?" featuring Carl Maraghi on baritone saxophone and Jeb Patton on piano.