Artist Kayo Hiraki was born in Japan, the daughter of a classical pianist. A child prodigy, she started playing the piano when she was three years old and the violin a year later.

At the age of 18, Kayo enrolled In Kunitachi Music College, Japan’s leading music conservatory. After receiving her degree, she embarked on a career as a composer, arranger and working musician, playing classical and jazz piano, organ and synthesizers.

In 1988, while captivating the New York jazz scene, Kayo began studying with world-renowned pianist Barry Harris, and later studied with the great Larry Ham.

In 1998, Kayo released her first album with her piano trio. The album, which included many of her own songs, including “I Miss You,” was widely praised by critics in Japan for its gentle approach to the American jazz idiom.

The legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter has said about Kayo,

“Rarely have I heard a musician as gifted as Ms. Hiraki. To hear her play is to experience the joy of her creative ability and the depth of her experience as a talented performer.”

In 2003, Kayo performed two sold out shows with Ron Carter at The Blue Note in New York City.

Kayo has released five albums since 2003, which feature her piano and vocal talents. Her fifth CD was released in 2007 by the Japanese label AGAM Records. She performed at The Blue Note for the CD release party the following year.

Currently, Kayo performs five nights a week at Arturo’s in Greenwich Village, New York City and also continues to tour Japan and Europe every year.