The Yuko Mabuchi Trio will perform on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill, Jazz, and Etc., 2930 Beverly Glen Circle in Los Angeles.
Mabuchi started playing classical piano at age of 4, in her hometown of Fukui. As a teenager she was fascinated by American R&B, hip-hop and blues. After hearing the music of Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock, she fell in love with jazz.
After high school she entered the AN Music School in Kyoto to study jazz piano under Kunihiro Kameda. After graduating from the conservatory, she began performing locally as a soloist, and as a member of a local jazz trio.
In 2010, Mabuchi arrived in Southern California to study at the Music Performance Academy (MPA) in Alhambra. She had the opportunity to showcase her talent at some of L.A.’s top venues, including the Catalina Jazz Bar, Downtown Biltmore Hotel, and Pasadena Levitt Pavilion Concert Series.
Her first CD, “Waves” (Vista Records, 2011), was a collection of original compositions. Returning to Japan in 2013, she performed with her trio at the Jazz Spot J Shinjuku in Tokyo, the Fukui Jazz Festival, Osaka/Neyagawa Jazz Convention ’14, Mokkiriya and Riverside in Kanazawa, and appeared monthly as a soloist at Keio Plaza, Tokyo.
After returning to the U.S. to record “My Life” (Vista Records, 2014), her second collection of original compositions, she developed a reputation as a virtuoso pianist who is entertaining and exciting to watch. “My Life” features Latin jazz great Justo Almario on flute and smooth jazz saxophonist Andre Delano.
Her most recent project, “The Yuko Mabuchi Trio” (Yarlung Records, 2017), was recorded live at the Brain and Creativity Institute’s Cammilleri Hall (USC) and is being released on vinyl record as well as CD. To order, visit www.Yarlungrecords.org. This project features Del Atkins on bass and Bob Breton on drums. Both will perform on Saturday along with special guest Robert Kyle on saxophone.
Mabuchi donates her time as the accompanist for the Watts-Willowbrook Conservatory and Youth Symphony, a music program that offers training to youngsters in L.A.’s inner city. For more information, visit www.sappa.net.
In 2017, she was invited to perform as a featured soloist with ICYOLA, under the direction of Charles Dickerson, at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. She is a captivating pianist that consistently treats her audience to the highest quality of music performance.
Video concert performances are available on www.youtube.com/yukomabuchi.
Saturdays @ Vibrato is the centerpiece of the Vibrato supper club experience, presenting a carefully curated evening in which customers enjoy five-star American cuisine alongside classic jazz. Vibrato hand-picks the finest instrumentalists and vocalists to create a celebration of a era when Sunset Strip rooms like Ciro’s, The Mocambo, and Café Trocadero were the epitome of hip Hollywood elegance and nightlife.
A $20 cover charge applies after 9 p.m. For information and reservations, call (310) 474-9400 or visit www.vibratogrilljazz.com.