Eric Miyashiro

Eric Miyashiro (b. July 13, 1963 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a jazz trumpeter.

Biography Overview

Eric Miyashiro was born to Japanese parents in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father was a professional trumpet player with the world-famous Royal Hawaiian Band; his mother was a professional dancer from Tokyo. Eric was highly influenced by his father and from early childhood took interest in his playing. Miyashiro began to study trumpet in early grade school and achieved a level of mastery by 8th grade sufficient for his father to give him a set of trumpets (Eb, D, and a Bb Piccolo trumpet). It gave him an early start with baroque-type high register classical trumpet parts. Today Eric Miyashiro is an Internationally acclaimed first call trumpet player in Tokyo. His playing is characterized by a term used on his web site, "StratosphERIC". Miyashiro is well known as a powerhouse Big Band lead player but he is also a first call classical symphonic musician. Eric is comfortable playing all idioms. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist, clinician and he helped design the Yamaha YTR-8340EM Miyashiro model trumpet.

Early Life, 1977-1982

Beginning at age 14 and through high school in Honolulu, Eric had the opportunity to play professionally with Sammy Davis, Jr., , The Temptations, The Four Tops, Tom Jones and Henry Mancini. When he was 18 he won a position with the All American high school All Stars and played with Maynard Ferguson and his big band at Carnegie Hall for the Jerry Lewis Telethon. In 1982 he got busy doing part time freelance studio work while studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

American Career, 1983-1989

From age 20 to 25 young Miyashiro toured on the road with several different bands, primarily as a lead player. He performed with the Big Bands of Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and the Count Basie Orchestra. He also played in back-up bands for Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughn. Over the years Miyashiro has performed with Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Bill Conti, John Williams, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, The Stylistics, Tower of Power and Anita O'Day. On the Classical music side, Miyashiro has appeared with The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Career in Japan, 1989-Present

In 1989 at age 24, Eric Miyashiro left the United States and moved to Japan. He began a freelance career working as a studio musician and clinician. Subsequently, he formed two performing bands, the EM Band and Z Force, both featuring top caliber Japanese personnel. Among his accomplishments Eric produced and played at the "W" Charity Concert in behalf of Francis Rocco, bassist with The Tower of Power Band. With his EM Band, Miyashiro has produced four solo CD albums Kick Up (2000), City of Brass (2003),Times Square (2006)and Pleiades - Tribute to Maynard Ferguson (2008).

Career Highlights

Since grade school Mr. Miyashiro has been a devotee of legendary jazz trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Bill Chase. In St. Louis, Missouri on July 20, 2006 Eric Miyashiro was one of the featured trumpet players for the Maynard Ferguson Tribute Concert. On August 1, 2007 Eric performed at Chase Revisited, a Tribute Concert for Bill Chase and a reunion for the former Chase Band players. In preparation for Chase Revisited, Eric asked if they wanted him to play the Bill Chase parts in his own style or "note for note". In Jr. High School he used the Chase albums for practice and had memorized the parts like a maniac.

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