Avant Guardians

By Leticia Gonzales

From the heart

Masa Ishikawa makes emotional connection through music

Masa Ishikawa’s connection with music stems from his upbringing in Japan.

“My mother would play a little tiny cassette tape with folk songs,” he said. “She would play that music when I was sleeping, when I was in the room, all day long.”

Although Ishikawa participated in choirs from elementary school into high school in Japan, he didn’t learn to play the piano until he was an adult.

“I did not really play piano until I came to the United States when I was 23.”

Although he initially moved to Washington state in 2003 for choir, Ishikawa said he developed his love for jazz and piano along the way.

“It was really Stevie Wonder that I was so interested in knowing more about, not just about his music.”

He also gravitated toward the music of Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, among other American soul artists. He began playing the piano as part of his musical curriculum, which included a keyboard course. He taught himself to read music despite never taking lessons. He has been teaching music theory and jazz at Gustavus Adolphus College since his arrival to the state in 2016 as a visiting assistant professor in music.

It was the relationships between jazz and the sound and harmony that he heard in Stevie Wonder’s music that brought on his passion.

“It’s like a circle of a connection. I kind of made a shift to start learning piano and jazz.”

He continued his education in Seattle, followed by Colorado, Florida and Nebraska, before calling Minnesota home in 2016. He lived in Iowa from 2019 to 2020

but returned to Gustavus at the onset of the pandemic. He began composing music and original compositions 10 years ago.

“I found more and more that it’s something I would enjoy and continue doing for a long time besides just playing piano,” Ishikawa said. “I had a different starting point, but I enjoy what I do and I am happy. I am fortunate to continue to play music.”

Ishikawa also doesn’t believe in the preconceived notion that individuals must start learning an instrument at a young age to succeed. With a supportive environment, he said anyone can make progress.

He was recently awarded a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council to record his second original jazz piano album with a bassist and drummer. His first album, “Dialogue,” was produced in 2019 with help from another council grant. The recordings for the newest album, due out later this year, will likely consist of five original compositions Ishikawa wrote in the past few years.

“A lot of times I write music based on my experiences or reflections or cultural experiences I have had or cultural aspects of my own country; it’s a mixture of things.”

His composing often has reflected on the tsunami earthquake that hit Japan in 2011, including the radiation explosion, which continues to impact the area. He commemorates the event through his music each year, each time using a different performance type.

His performances have ranged from his signature piano to playing a transverse Japanese flute or Japanese drums. One year he even composed a jazz orchestra piece featuring five saxophones, four trumpets and four trombones.

“It’s a personal thing I write about. I kind of utilize this opportunity to raise awareness.”

He will perform some of his latest recordings at the Hot Jazz for Decent People outdoor concert series in St. Peter this month.

“Writing music kind of takes a real center of my heart as well as playing piano, and has been a meaningful experience to share with others,” he said.

IF YOU GO

What Hot Jazz for Decent People: Masa Ishikawa Trio Minnesota Square Park, St. Peter When 7-8:30 p.m. Aug. 19 Admission Free. Visit artscentersp.org for details.