Miho Hazama and m_unit

Berklee Performance Center

Sat. March 16, 8:00 PM

Grammy-nominated composer and conductor Miho Hazama is one of the most promising and talented composers/arrangers of her generation. Lauded in DownBeat as one of “25 for the Future” and an ASCAP Foundation awardee for Best Young Jazz Composer, Hazama creates inventive, complex, and surprising compositions for m_unit, the 13-piece jazz chamber orchestra that she leads.

The 13-piece orchestral jazz collective Miho Hazama conducts, which includes strings, horns, woodwinds, and a piano/bass/drums rhythm section, has earned critical acclaim under her leadership. Hazama and m_unit have recorded three albums; 2019’s Dancer in Nowhere, received a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

The band is currently touring in support of its acclaimed 2023 release, Beyond Orbits, which features a three-part "Exoplanet Suite." Commissioned by SFJazz, the songs were inspired by Miho's looking outward, beyond the day-to-day struggles of life in our tumultuous world. AllAboutJazz called it, "an exhilarating, nuanced affair, rich in unexpected instrumental combinations."

This brilliant composer and her jazz orchestra make their Boston debuts at Berklee Performance Center.

“Hazama’s compositions are at once strikingly restless and reassuringly lithe. She knows how to conjure impressionistic clouds that blossom into clarity, and create clearings for soloists to make their case before a new juxtaposition reveals itself. ”
JazzTimes

“Hazama’s boldly organic and singularly exciting collective is a breath of fresh air. Her uncanny ability to remain intellectually stimulating and vibrantly spirited is what makes her work singularly innovative.”
All About Jazz