"Yōkai! Songs of the Japanese Supernatural"

A multimedia presentation of Japanese art and live jazz by the Fumi Tomita Quartet.

Fumi Tomita, bass
Carl Clements, woodwinds
Jason Ennis, guitars
Gary Fieldman, drums

Fumi Tomita is a jazz bassist, composer, educator, and author. His newest recording, Yokai! Songs of the Japanese Supernatural will be released in October 2026 on Origin records and was inspired by 19th-century woodblock prints of Yokai and other Japanese supernatural creatures derived from folklore. The album will be supported by a Northeast tour during October and November. His 2019 recording, The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the Short Stories of Haruki Murakami, was released to critical acclaim by Origin Arts records and was listed in the top ten records of 2019 by Jazziz. His 2020 release Celebrating Bird: The Music of Charlie Parker was similarly received.

Tomita was active on the New York city jazz scene for over fifteen years and has performed at venues all over the U.S. and Canada including recent appearances at the International Society of Bassists Conference in Ann Harbor, Michigan in June 2023 and the Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans and a short tour of Georgia, both in January 2024.

As an author, his second book, Introduction to Early Jazz: A Concise Introduction from Its Beginnings through 1929, was published by State University of New York Press in February 2024 and was a guest on The Buzz, the podcast of the Jazz Journalist Association. His first book, The Jazz Rhythm Section, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in conjunction with NAfME in 2019. He has also published articles in Bass World, Jazz Perspectives, and the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Journal.

He regularly presents his research at conferences including those hosted by Rhythm Changes, the International Society of Bassists, Issues in Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Education Network, International Society for Improvised Music, BassEurope, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. He holds three degrees in jazz performance: a B.M. from McGill University, an M.M. from Manhattan School of Music, and a D.M.A. from the Eastman School of Music. He is currently Associate Professor of Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.