Fumi Tomita | Bass

Bassist, composer, and educator Fumi Tomita was active in the New York jazz scene for
over fifteen years. His latest recording, “The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the
Short Stories of Haruki Murakami”, was released by Origin Arts records in April 2019 to
critical acclaim was listed in the top ten records of 2019 by Jazziz. He has performed with
Sheila Jordan, Steve Davis, Christian Sands, Luis Perdomo, Dave Liebman, Jeff Coffin, Steve
Wilson, Felipe Salles, and others. Touring nationwide with own groups, his newest
recording “Celebrating Bird: A Tribute to Charlie Parker” will be released in August 2020 by
Next Level Music.

As a researcher, he has presented his research at Issues in Contemporary Jazz, the Jazz
Education Network, International Society for Improvised Music, BassEurope, Massachusetts
Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. His book
“The Jazz Rhythm Section” was published by NAfME in conjunction with Rowman &
Littlefield in 2019. Additionally, he has published articles in Bass world, Jazz Perspectives,
and the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Journal. He is currently the Assistant Professor of
Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.