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Haruna Fukazawa is a New York-based flutist, improviser and composer originally from Tokyo, where she studied classical music at the Musashino Academia Musicae. She started visiting New York City regularly to study with Frank Wess, and shortly after with his encouragement, she decided to move to New York.
Haruna’s straightforward, joyful, and powerful playing style is inspired most by her legendary teacher and mentor, Frank Wess. She has appeared on many albums, TV shows, and movie recordings as a side musician, and her career continues to evolve as she works in a variety of groups. Of note is her involvement with Karl Berger’s Improvisers Orchestra, which won the Downbeat Critics Poll six times. She has performed in some of the most prestigious venues in New York City, among them the Blue Note, Carnegie Hall, The Stone, The 55 Bar, The Bitter End, Joe’s Pub, and The Rubin Museum of Art. She performed at the Trieste Summer Rock Festival in Trieste, Italy, in 2010. It was the first time for a Japanese band to perform at this festival. She is a winner of the National Flute Association (NFA) Jazz Flute Big Band Audition in 2019, 2021, and Professional Flute Choir competition in 2021. In 2022, she was a soloist with the Open Low Flutes Ensemble at the NFA. The Haruna Fukazawa Quintet performs regularly; its first album was released from Summit Records in 2019. Her album was ranked in 50 on Jazz Week (Jazz and Smooth Jazz radio stations airplay charts). She was also featured on the cover of the Hot House Jazz Magazine. In 2021, the band was selected to be the featured performer at the 19th NFA Convention. Haruna also co-leads a chamber jazz trio called Jazz Triangle 65-77. The band released two albums in 2017 and 2021. |
