NEWS
Jim Bennett recently included my piece, Song of the Wild on the playlist for his radio show Forms and Feelings. I am so honored for Eternal Moments to be featured besides such great albums!
NPR’s Excellence in Jazz featured Outer Space—Myriad Stars! on their February 13, 2026 playlist. Thank you for sharing music from my Eternal Moments album!
I was delighted that The Walker’s, a wonderful Japan-based jazz and music magazine featured my interview with journalist Michael Ambrosino (www.33third.org) on their Facebook page, along with some additional info about me and my work. Thank you so much!
Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and currently based in New York, USA, composer, pianist, and educator Yoko Yates is featured in this interview! In the interview, she talks about her life in jazz, and the music from her new album Eternal Moments is also highlighted.
北海道札幌市出身。現在、⽶国ニューヨーク在住。 作曲家、
ピアニスト、教育者でもある容⼦イエイツのインタビュー ( 英語版）！
このインタビューでは、彼女のジャズ人生について語られており、新作アルバム 『Eternal Moments』 の音楽も取り上げられています。 https://www.33third.org/yoko-
yates/ Some additional information about Yoko Yates:
A follow-up to her 2022 debut “Mystic Life” (SteepleChase), pianist/composer Yoko Yates’s new album utilizes the same quintet, with whom she’s worked for the last ten years: Jamie Baum, f/af; Sam Sadigursky, cl/bcl/as; Aryeh Kobrinsky, b; Jeff Hirschfield, d. The Sapporo-born Yates is a graduate of Toshiko Akiyoshi’s American alma mater, Berklee, where she earned a music B.A. summa cum laude, then a master’s in education from Lesley University in Cambridge & a doctorate in music education at Columbia University Teachers College. Her compositional approach starts with “a picture in my mind. Visual imagination comes first.” Yoko’s label name Banka has the meaning of “‘many different kinds of flowers’ & ‘changing in various ways,’ so ‘kaleidoscope’ is a good description of my music, with many compositions about nature involving different styles & elements.”
Eternal Moments was included in NPR’s Excellence in Jazz playlist on January 8. Thank you to hosts Avery Jeffry and Gary Vercelli for your support!
Thank you to Dr. Brad Stone for featuring Winding River from Eternal Moments on his program The Creative Source (episode 545) on January 8th! Listen to his wonderfully curated lineup here at SoulandJazz.com or on the Soul and Jazz podcast.
Michael Ambrosino suggests “starting the new year off with a brand new take on jazz! Elipses, Kate Wyatt, Yoko Yates, and Danny Grissett are set to rock, ah I mean, Jazz your world!” We always appreciate his enthusiasm and thank him for featuring Eternal Moments alongside so many other talented artists on January 2nd’s episode of Currents on 33third.org.
JazzBlues EU has selected Eternal Moments as one of the 15 Best Jazz Albums of 2025! Thank you so much for this wonderful recognition!
I am honored to be featured with other amazing, inspirational artists on the Playlist in the December 2025 Women in Jazz Media’s magazine.
Thank you Dr. Brad Stone and Ms. Fiona Ross for your tremendous support!!
Michael Ambrosino featured Eternal Moments on November 25th on 33third.org, “Your Soundtrack to the Future of Jazz.”
Yoko’s newest album, Eternal Moments, was featured on November 22nd on Ben Boddie’s On Jazz on All About Jazz.
Winding River from Eternal Moments was once again featured on October 1st on Excellence in Jazz.
Thank you to Dr. Brad Stone for featuring Aster from Eternal Moments on his show The Creative Source on October 23rd!
Thank you to Michael Ambrosino for again featuring Eternal Moments on his show Currents, about which he had this to say:
“No sociopathic tirades. No need for fake applause. No requests that you trim down and adhere to any form of toxic masculinity. Just the exhilarating creativity and joy of Jazz. On Currents – your soundtrack to the future voice of Jazz.”
I’m honored to be featured on his show with such wonderful artists!
Spirits of the Night from Eternal Moments was featured on Bob Osborne’s Different Noises – World of Jazz 759.
Winding River from Eternal Moments was featured on the radio program Ben Boddie on Jazz.
Eternal Moments was featured on Radio France’s Au coeur du jazz on September 23rd!
Winding River from Eternal Moments was featured on September 14th on Excellence in Jazz.
Thank you to Michael Ambrosino for playing Eternal Moments on today’s episode of Currents, which features new and recently releases of contemporary jazz from around the world. Today’s show included “Bill Laurance, Harold López-Nussa, Oleksandr Kolosii, George Burton and the Rin Seo Collective, all on the latest episode of Currents – your soundtrack to the future voice of Jazz.” I’m honored to be in such talented company!
We had a wonderful Eternal Moments album release concert last Saturday, September 20th!
Thank you Jamie Baum (Flt./AFlt.), Sam Sadigursky (Cl./BCl./AS.), Aryeh Kobrinsky (Bs.), and Jeff Hirshfield (Ds.) for your truly beautiful and inspiring playing!! Thank you to all the guests for being such an enthusiastic audience and for your heartfelt support!!”
Hello everyone,
Hope you are enjoying the last part of summer! NYC has been having such beautiful weather!
My second album Eternal Moments release concert will take place on Saturday Sep. 20 at 8pm (doors open at 7:30pm) in Greenwich House Music School concert hall (46 Barrow St. in Manhattan, 2nd floor). The concert information and ticket site are below:
https://greenwichhouse.org/
(*I recommend to buy the ticket in advance—the price is a little less)
I hope you will be able to join the concert to celebrate the release of my new album!!
“Eternal Moments” CDs will be released/sold on major music platforms on Sep. 19 (https://found.ee/Yoko-Yates-
Thank you very much for your support!
I really look forward to seeing you at the concert!
Warm wishes,
Yoko
親愛なる皆様
夏の終わりを楽しんでいらっしゃいますか？ニューヨークはこのところとても美しい天候に恵まれていますね
私の二作目のアルバム「Eternal Moments」のリリースコンサートを9/20(土曜）８pm（7:30入場）Greenwich House Music School、 コンサートホール（46 Barrow St. Manhattan, 2階）で行います。（インフォメーション：https://greenwichhouse.org/event/yoko-yates-quintet-album-release-concert/）
(＊前売りのチケットが少しお安くなっています）
是非ご参加下さい!!
また「Eternal Moments」のCDは主だった音楽供給会社から9/19にリリース/販売されますが（https://found.ee/Yoko-Yates-Eternal-Moments ）、コンサート会場でもご購入できます。
皆様のサポートに心より感謝申し上げます。
会場でお目にかかれますことをとても楽しみにしています!
Please enjoy this teaser for Eternal Moments.
I am happy to announce that my second album Eternal Moments, which was recorded last year, will be released on September 19, 2025.
“Eternal Moments is the radiant new album from Brooklyn-based Japanese pianist and composer Yoko Yates, whose deeply lyrical jazz storytelling continues in this second full-length release. Following her acclaimed debut Mystic Life, Yates reunites with a top-tier ensemble-flutist Jamie Baum, reedist Sam Sadigursky, bassist Aryeh Kobrinsky, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield-to bring her evocative, nature-inspired compositions to life.From the meditative wonder of “Outer Space – Myriad Stars!” to the elegant melancholy of “The Flower Before Its Last Day,” Yates paints vivid emotional landscapes shaped by memories, nature, and personal reflection. “Winding River” and “Aster,” the album’s focus track, channel the quiet power and resilience found in the natural world, with expressive improvisation and rich acoustic textures.Produced by Scott Lee and engineered by Grammy-winner Mike Marciano, Eternal Moments captures Yates’ gift for blending classical sensitivity with jazz’s improvisational heart. This is instrumental music at it’s most visual, emotional, and transcendent-a perfect listen for fans of contemplative modern jazz and ECM-style intimacy.For listeners seeking music that soothes, uplifts, and tells stories without words, Eternal Moments is a journey worth taking.”
I will have an album release concert on the evening of Saturday, September 20, 2025! I would love to see you there!
Prior to that, three singles (digital only) from this album will be released on major online distribution platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc.). Please check them out! The links are below.
If you enjoy the music and could circulate the information, I would deeply appreciate it.
Outer Space – Myriad Stars!
(released May 16, 2025)
The Flower Before Its Last Day
(released June 27, 2025)
Winding River
(released August 8, 2025)
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! Wishing you a new year filled with joy, good health, and peace! I hope you had a wonderful start to 2024.
I am happy to announce that I will hold two concerts, on 1/27 and 2/18, prior to the quintet’s recording of my next album in late February. (My debut album “Mystic Life” was released in 2022 by SteepleChase Records.) I hope you will come to these concerts to hear my new compositions before their release!
SATURDAY, 1/27, 7:30 – 9pm (doors open: 7pm)
Greenwich Music School Concert Hall
46 Barrow Street
West Village, New York
SUNDAY, 2/18, 8 – 9:30pm
Ibeam*
168 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY
*tickets sold at door/seats are very limited
皆様、新年明けましておめでとうございます。
ご健康に恵まれ、
さて、
Please enjoy these videos of the Yoko Yates Quintet at their April concert at Greenwich House Music School, performing pieces from Yoko’s SteepleChase Records album, Mystic Life, along with a new composition,
The Flower Before Its Last Day.
JUNGLE FLOWERS and NEAR THE HORIZON
DAWN
THE FLOWER BEFORE ITS LAST DAY
Yoko’s songs “Procession of Queen Maya” and “Cosmos” from Mystic Life are featured in May beside other great artists on Faye Patton’s Pixie Picks, a new program on Jazz London Radio. This new show concentrates on contemporary jazz with an urban twist, and showcases female jazz artists and related music today! Listen here
Live on Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:30 pm and 9pm London time and on Friday between 3:30 am and 5am London time.
Thank you so much for participating in the concert at
Greenwich House Music School on 4/21/23 !
I am happy to announce that our group will be playing again at Greenwich House Music School concert hall at 46 Barrow Street in the West Village, New York on Friday, April 21 at 7:30 – 9pm (doors open at 7pm). Please join us!! (* no live streaming in this concert) We will be playing pieces from my debut album “Mystic Life” (SteepleChase LookOut released in April 2022) as well as new original compositions.* Click here to purchase tickets!
Please feel free to share this post with others who love jazz and original music! I look forward to seeing you at the concert!
4/21 (金曜）7:30 – 9pm (7pm 会場), 私のホームベースであるGreenwich House Music School Hall (46 Barrow St., West Village, NY)で第２弾目のコンサートをいたします。是非ご参加ください!! (＊今回は オンラインでの視聴はありません）
詳しい情報、チケット購入サイトは以下のリンクにあります。https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yoko-yates-quintet-tickets-595242013887
私のデビューアルバム「Mystic Live」（SteepleChase, LookOut, 4/2022リリース）中の曲と、新曲を混ぜて演奏したいと思っています。コンサートでお会いできますことをとても楽しみにしています!
(またよろしければ、このポストをジャズ·オリジナル音楽等を好きな方々に回していただけると嬉しいです!）
Yoko is honored to be featured on Apple Music’s Jazz Chill playlist. Her song Dawn is listed among 145 songs. Click here to find it!
Thank you very much for joining me at my concert at Soapbox Gallery on 1/28/23! It was a full house and a heartwarming, wonderful event! I appreciate your support!
I am happy to announce that I will be playing with my quintet at a beautiful intimate venue, the Soapbox Gallery, at 636 Dean Street in Brooklyn on January 28, 2023 from 8-9pm.
Tickets, in person and livestream, are available here, at the venue website.
If you are not in New York City or are living overseas, you can still join the concert via livestream!We will be playing pieces from my debut album Mystic Life as well as new original compositions.
Please feel free to share this post with others who love jazz!
I’m excited to see you at the concert!
2023年1/28 (土曜)、8 -９pmにブルックリンのSoapbox Gallery (636 Dean Street, Brooklyn)にてクインテットでのコンサートを予定しております。
このコンサートはニューヨーク在住以外の方々もオンライン（live streaming)で観ることもできますので、どうぞご参加下さい!!
(＊参考までに、日本在住の方には1/29 (日曜), 10 – 11amとなります）
ライブ、オンラインでの参加チケット購入情報は上記Soapbox Galleryのサイトにあります。
私のこの春のデビューアルバム「Mystic Life」(SteepleChase, LookOut リリース）中の曲と、新曲を混ぜて演奏したいと思っています。
コンサートでお会いできますことを楽しみにしています!!
(＊もしよろしければ、このポストをジャズ·オリジナル音楽等を好きな方々に回して頂けると嬉しいです!
Yoko’s album release concert on June 11th was a wonderful event! She performed for a full house.
Thanks you so much to all for coming!
