“Ima, you don’t look Jewish,” a three-year-old girl said to her mother. “That’s because I wasn’t born Jewish. I had to work for it.” On Mother’s Day, Meg Okura, who converted to Judaism four years ago, will release Ima Ima, featuring trumpeter Tom Harrell and guitarist Rez Abbasi. Ima Ima (mom in Hebrew and now in Japanese) will be her Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble's fourth album, showcasing extensive works for 10-piece chamber jazz ensemble, spanning four years. This album is a musical platform for exploring her new Jewish faith, her Japanese heritage, her passion for jazz, and love for family. Her grandmother, to whom this album is dedicated, had passed away during the production. The
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Breaking news! Meg Okura's NPO Trio Live at the STONE made it on The Best Jazz on Bandcamp:March 2018 on Bandcamp Daily, alongside with some of our leading contemporaries and masters such as Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch, and Mary Halvorson. NOW, you MUST check it out, if you haven't already! "There are some stunning moments on this set from the NPO Trio of violinist Meg Okura, saxophonist Sam Newsome, and pianist Jean-Michel Pilc. Their music is a balancing act between cohesion and chaos, allowing the music to fall into one of those states while still grasping tight to its counterpart. This sense of everything coming apart at the seams creates the most intoxicating tension as the balance of powe
