Japanese

Biography

Manami plays the piano
...because she loves it!!

Manami Morita was born in Saitama, Japan in 1984.  She started off learning classical piano at the age of 4.  Unfortunately, she hated piano lessons, because she couldn’t stand all the rules in classical piano.  On the other hand, she loved playing as she wanted and felt.  At the age of 13, she met JAZZ.  “Well, THIS IS AWESOME, I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT!!”, she proclaimed.

After learning on her own, she received a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in 2005 and decided to change her life - previously, she had thought of being an English teacher or a flight attendant!  In 2006, she moved to the United States and started her career at Berklee in Boston to search for her own music, based on jazz.

As soon as she arrived, her significant musical skills were recognized by the school.  In 2007, she was awarded the Mary Jane Earnhart Endowed Scholarship.  Also, in 2008, she was honorably selected as a representative of Jazz Composition Department at Berklee and awarded the Herb Pomeroy Award.  In 2009, she joined the International Kodolanyi Jazz Competition in Hungary with Tenor Saxophone player Mitsuru Hirayama and won 3rd prize.  Also, she was awarded the Outstanding Performer Award at the same competition.

Manami has performed with internationally acclaimed musicians, such as Esperanza Spalding, Greg Hopkins, Mark Walker, Rosa Pasos, Oscar Stagnaro and more.  Also, she appeared at the Martha’s Vineyard Music Festival in 2008 with other groups, such as Boston Pops, Gladys Knight and Kate Taylor. Also some other music festivals such as Salem Jazz Festival 08’ and 09’, Tokyo Jazz 10’, Rochester International Jazz Festival 11’ etc.  She has played at prestigious jazz clubs, such as Sculler’s Jazz Club, Ryle’s Jazz Club, Blue Note Nagoya, Billboard Osaka and more. 

Manami graduated Berklee in 2008 and released her first album “Colors” in 2009 and second album “For You” in 2010 through Rambling Records, Inc.

And her journey continues…