SHUKO MIZUNO
Genres: Third Stream, Progressive Big Band, Jazz Related Improv, Composition, Classic Fusion • Japan

Shuko Mizuno was born on February 24th, 1934...in the prefecture of Tokushima, Japan. He launched his musical studies in 1958 at Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku (Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music) and completed his studies with a master's degree in music in 1963. From the beginning of his university studies, Mizuno expressed a deep interest in musical improvisation, focusing on jazz elements popularized in Western music. Encouraged by the tutelage of Shibata and Hasegawa, Mizuno's compositions embraced improvisational techniques. While at the university, he co-founded its first improvisational ensemble. In the supportive culture of Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, Mizuno created pivotal relationships with fellow students, such as Yasunao Tone and Takehisa Kosugi, which culminated in ground-breaking musical experimentation. Mizuno and Kosugi spent numerous hours improvising on violin and cello. When Tone joined them on the saxophone, the avant-garde musical collaboration Group Ongaku was born. Other improvisational contemporaries, including read more...