Miki Yamanaka

Miki Yamanaka is a pianist, organist, composer, and bandleader whose New York work centers on her trio, the Miki's Mood series, and a growing leader catalog.

PianoHammond organComposerBandleader8 current shows

Photo source · Photo: Martina DaSilva, via Miki Yamanaka's official gallery

Career Overview

About Miki Yamanaka

Yamanaka's official biography traces her move from Japan to New York in 2012 and describes leader residencies at Smalls and Mezzrow alongside work on piano and organ. Her catalog progressed from Miki and Human Dust Suite to Stairway to the Stars, Shades of Rainbow, and Chance.[1]

The 2026 recording Breathe extends Yamanaka's working trio with bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Jimmy Macbride by adding saxophonist Nicole Glover. The artist's release materials present the album as music shaped by the trio's years of recording, touring, and regular New York performances.[2][3]

Ensembles and Career Threads

Bands & Projects

Leader, pianist, and composer

Miki Yamanaka Trio

Yamanaka's Breathe materials identify Tyrone Allen II and Jimmy Macbride as her longstanding trio, with Nicole Glover joining the group for the 2026 recording and selected quartet performances.[3]

Host, pianist, and bandleader

Miki's Mood

Yamanaka created the in-home performance series during the pandemic, using themed programs and changing guests to explore standards and music by jazz composers.[1]

Pianist, organist, composer, and leader

Leader recording catalog

The official biography documents six leader releases through Chance in 2024, while the artist's current release page and shop add Breathe to that recording arc in 2026.[1][2][4]

Selected, Not Exhaustive

Recordings to Know

2023 · Cellar Music Group

Shades of Rainbow

Leader, pianist, and composer

Yamanaka's official biography places Shades of Rainbow in her Cellar Music catalog immediately before Chance and documents its extended national radio-chart run.[1][4]

Release details

2024 · Cellar Music Group

Chance

Leader, pianist, and composer

Chance features Yamanaka's New York rhythm section of Tyrone Allen II and Jimmy Macbride in a piano-trio setting recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio.[1][4]

Release details

2026 · Cellar Music Group

Breathe

Leader, pianist, and composer

Breathe brings Yamanaka's trio together with saxophonist Nicole Glover for an album released on August 14, 2026, in digital, CD, and vinyl editions.[3][4]

Release details

Artist-Authorized Destinations