Minimalist jazz is experiencing a quiet renaissance, led by a Tokyo-born pianist whose album Silent Dialogues merges Bill Evans’ lyrical phrasing with the austerity of Japanese gagaku court music. The record, entirely improvised in a single take, spent 12 weeks at number one on JazzTimes’ critics’ poll.

The pianist’s collaboration with Icelandic glass harmonica virtuoso Sigridur Jónsdóttir pushed boundaries further, their duo performances described as “sonic watercolor paintings.” The project’s highlight, Frost and Flame, juxtaposes glacial arpeggios with fiery improvisations, challenging listeners’ perception of tempo.

Beyond music, the artist curates Soundscapes of Silence, an exhibition pairing jazz recordings with Zen rock gardens in Kyoto. “Jazz has always been about silence as much as sound,” they explained. “My work is about finding harmony in emptiness.” This philosophical approach has attracted collaborations with architects and neuroscientists studying brainwave entrainment through improvisation.