Born/Raised by Mai Sugimoto

Asian Improv aRts Midwest presents the debut album of up and coming Jazz Saxophonist Mai Sugimoto. She debuted her new album with her group at the 23rd Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival on Nov. 17, 2018. Born/Raised in Japan -- As a child growing up in suburban Tokyo, Sugimoto was surrounded by her dad's record collection. This soundtrack to her childhood, everything from classical to Motown to jazz, was seminal in her early development. She still remembers the moment that changed everything: hearing Eric Dolphy's At the Five Spot for the first time. Raised/Living in Chicago -- Fast forward to the present and one can find Sugimoto playing her own saxophone, striving for the same musical magic that moved her to be a musician in the first place.
(Asian Improv Records 2018)

Japanese-born saxophonist, composer, and active member of Chicago’s jazz and creative music scene. Sugimoto draws inspiration from her upbringing in Japan and her roots in jazz to compose and perform from her unique multicultural experience.

Photo: Kioto Aoki

maisugimoto.com