2020: Yoko Miwa’s Year In Review
It’s been … quite a year.
Nobody could have known when this year started that 2020 would go the way it did. That we’d see the shuttering of jazz clubs, an explosion of online performances, the loss of a host of jazz legends, and so much more. Despite it all, the music kept going, shedding light in the dark corners.
The year started in fine style, with the Yoko Miwa Trio performing at the famed Birdland in New York City. (See photos from the show.) It was a great night with a packed room full of old friends and new friends.
February saw another milestone, as Yoko signed with the Ubuntu Management Group, a partnership that continues to promise exciting new opportunities for Yoko to get her music to a wider audience.
Yoko and Edamame at the piano
The streaming concerts continued to gain steam in April. By May many jazz clubs had caught on to the streaming boom, and Yoko performed an online show on behalf of Scullers Jazz Club. Yoko also celebrated her birthday with a streaming show.
Looking into the restaurant window of Les Zygomates
In August Yoko and her team had a photo shoot for a cover for the new album.
The Detroit Jazz Festival has been an end-of-summer tradition for years. This year it streamed online, as did the DC JazzFest. We also published an A to Z look at Yoko.
We redesigned the website in October, and Yoko gave a presentation and performance for the Seacoast Jazz Society.
N is for November, and for new music! Yoko released a single in November. She followed it up with another single in December.
Now, with just a couple weeks left in the year, all of us in the Yoko Miwa family wish you and yours a happy, healthy, safe and musical 2021!
4 Responses
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Yoko. I sent you and Scott a card to your home this past week. I don’t know if you are able to go back home to Scott’s mom in Pennsylvania but if not I wish you a pleasant holiday break. For the first time, in a long time, I’m in a bad mood this Christmas and need a break from the world. I’ll listen to some jazz and pretend I’m jamming with Herbie Hancock. 😉 Cheers!
Hi John,
Yes we received the beautiful card from you ❤️ Thank you so much 😊 Unfortunately we can’t visit Scott’s mom this year, this is the first time ever he is not spending Christmas with his mom, so sad. I hope you have a wonderful holiday 💕 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year❗️Yoko and Scott
Are any of your live performances from 2020 available for viewing? Thank you.
Hi David
Here is a sneak preview video of my new release Songs of Joy. https://youtu.be/HjjeF6f9RJc
My last live performances in 2020 were on March 13 and 14. I performed at Birdland in January and there are a couple of videos from that show on YouTube if you search. Also my regular Friday night gig at the Mad Monkfish live streams all their performances so my shows from January to mid March can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/themadmonkfish/videos/?ref=page_internal
Starting the weekend of March 20 I began Facebook livestreamed solo piano concerts from my home studio and continued every Friday and Saturday until August. Those can bee seen at: https://www.facebook.com/yokomiwapiano/videos_by
All the best,
Yoko 💕