Michika Fukumori
Biography
Michika Fukumori – Jazz Pianist, Composer, and Educator
Born on Japan’s main island, Michika grew up in the city of Mie and began playing the piano at the age of three. Within the next three years, she was composing and performing her own music. After studying classical composition at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Michika studied with renowned Japanese pianist Colgen Suzuki and began working professionally at various jazz clubs in and around Tokyo.
In 2000, she moved to the United States and studied with Ron Carter and Geri Allen at City College of New York, while also taking private lessons under the tutelage of Steve Kuhn. She earned her Master’s Degree at CCNY in 2003.
Since then, Michika has performed at many of Manhattan’s most prestigious jazz clubs, including Lenox Lounge, Beekman Tower Hotel, The Garage, Cleopatra’s Needle, Antique Garage, Arturo’s, and Jazz at Kitano. She has also led a trio at New York’s jazz mecca, The Blue Note, in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, and 2017.
Michika recorded her first album, Infinite Thoughts, in 2004, joined by David Finck (bass) and Billy Drummond (drums), and produced by Steve Kuhn. In 2016, she released her second album, Quality Time, with Summit Records (USA), featuring Aidan O’Donnell (bass) and Billy Drummond (drums), also produced by Kuhn. The album reached #33 on the JazzWeek chart and remained in the top 50 for several weeks.
In 2018, she released her third album, Piano Images, a solo piano recording with Summit Records, once again produced by Kuhn. The album includes a four-hand performance of Kuhn’s representative song, Oceans in the Sky.
In 2025, Michika Fukumori recorded a new piano trio album with Steve Whipple (bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums), which she produced herself. Scheduled for release on June 6, 2025, through Summit Records, this album marks a new chapter in her artistic journey.
In addition to her career as a performer and recording artist, she is also an active composer, accompanist, and educator, currently based in New York. She has also contributed to music education through publications such as Learn to Play the Piano with a CD (Natsume Publishing Planning, 1998) and Standard Songs for Elementary School Instrumental Ensembles (ATN, 2005), among others.
