Masakazu Yoshizawa

by Bruno DeschenesMasakazu Yoshizawa was born in Japan but was educated in the Western musical tradition. He received his degree from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Yoshizawa is a multi-instrumentalist playing such traditional Japanese instruments as the shakuhachi, shinobue, hichiriki, and others, as well as such Western instruments as the clarinet, saxophone, and other woodwinds. He is an active studio musician and performs in live concerts worldwide. A composer for many musical forms, including Japanese forms, Yoshizawa has played on many soundtracks, including Jurassic Park, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. He has worked and recorded with such musicians as Osamu Kitajima, Carlos Nakai, the Crusaders, Berlin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, John Williams, and Henry Mancini. In 1993, along with Tateo Takahashi on tsugaru shamisen and Hiromi Hashibe on koto, Yoshizawa formed the Japanese ensemble Kokin Gumi. Their repertoire blends traditional Japanese instruments with synthesizers, performing traditional, contemporary, and original compositions.