Mitchell Yoshida

Last summer, we dreamed of a piano concert in a wildflower bloom. That fall, we got to work. Just us and the kids, clearing the land, planting over 500 seedlings, scattering pounds of California native wildflower seeds. And then 6 months later… it actually happened 🌸🎹

Still overwhelmed with emotion from a beautiful album release concert. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to introduce this music to the world and to bring so much loving energy to our farm. Natasha and I dreamt this experience up this past fall. I shaped the alluvial meadow with my tractor and we sowed native wildflower seeds hoping they’d grow into a field worthy of our vision. In the end it far exceeded our expectations. It is such a wild thing to plan something so far in advance and then surrender to the weather and the plants and trust it’ll come together. The week before the forecast began showing three days of steady rain and we almost cancelled the show. In the end, we were blessed with the most incredible sky full of majestic clouds and an epic sunset. The full concert will be available on YouTube in the next few weeks so stay tuned! So much love and thank yous to give: Travis, Bryce and Zach for literally carrying a piano up a hill 🎹 Nichter Bros moving service for the win! My mom, for hand painting all the signage and squeezing fresh orange juice from her neighboring orchard Crash, Tess, Becka, Steve, Taiana and Mercy for helping with setup and flow Devin, Gene and Isabela for filming and capturing the beauty of the whole thing. And Blake and Ari for many of these incredible photos in this post. And also to all of our friends who sent us amazing videos and photos too… 📸@posesawkwardly @montanamermaid

A piano on a mountaintop, somewhere between a concert and a dream. The Superbloom Concert A solo piano performance among native wildflowers in the California foothills. More to come soon… 🎥 Film by @isabelazawist ✨ #piano #solopiano #cinematicmusic #californianativeplants #contemporaryclassical

My debut narrative feature film score will be released in theaters and on demand starting May 8. I’m very proud of the hard work that went into composing, producing, and performing this eclectic, dreamlike score that explores everything from midcentury orchestral exotica to psychedelic disco to minimalist synthesizer music. I’m also deeply grateful to my friend @noramkirkpatrick for inviting me into her debut feature. I’m in awe of what she has created here—both artistically and in the sheer scale of bringing it to life. It’s been an honor to collaborate with such an incredible team: Producers: @lynettehowelltaylor , @samhousman Cast: @alexandradaddario @joshgad @ashleyparklady @daveeddiggs @kevinpollak123 Editor: @henryhayes AD: @j_elliott_hogan DP: @jeffleedscohn PD: @liam.mooore Costumes: @abrync #couplesweekend

California native wildflowers in full bloom, accompanied by the new single from my solo piano album, which I recorded it in the foothills of Santa Barbara. I find and channel so much inspiration from the beautiful nature that surrounds me. This is a wildflower meadow I made this year high up in the chaparral on our farm. I think it pairs quite nicely with the music, don’t you? 🌸🎹 #solopiano #wildflowers #californianativeplants #californianativewildflowers #neoclassicalpiano #ethiopiques #chaparral #tseguemaryamguebrou #californiafoothills

Out today! Single 4 from the Well-Tempered Spinet, “for Tsegué-Maryam Guebrou” is inspired by one of my all-time favorite artists. Guebrou was an Ethiopian nun and self-taught pianist whose deeply spiritual, minimalist compositions blend Ethiopian melodies with Western classical forms. Her music is stunningly beautiful; ornamented yet simple, lively yet peaceful. This was the spirit I wanted to capture with this improvisation. Now streaming everywhere. Full album available exclusively on Bandcamp. Links in bio. #tseguemaryamguebrou #ethiopiques #solopiano #modernclassical #minimalpiano #meditativemusic #spiritualjazz #newmusicrelease #ambientpiano

A little behind the scenes of @mitchellyoshida and my very high-tech content operation 🙃 filming piano hammers dancing to his improvisation Glassy Conditions, streaming everywhere 🌊

My new solo piano record, The Well-Tempered Spinet — Volume I: Spirit, is out today. This three-volume project is a cycle of 24 premeditated improvisations recorded in a special tuning system that gives each key its own personality. Volume I is a set of eight pieces centered around melody and song. Simple, emotional music for quiet moments, reflection, and slowing down. Recorded in Hi-Fi in this home on this piano, mastered to tape for analog warmth. Available now on Bandcamp. Link in bio. Special thanks to @sethfordyoung , @crashdangdoodle , and @bryanjosephling for guidance and encouragement along the way. Infinite thanks to my wife @toshnaz and my two boys for the bottomless well of inspiration and love. Analog tape mix and master by @mrlinny and myself at @infinitespinstudio Photo by @nastassianinaconquet #solopiano #pianomusic #modernclassical #neoclassicalmusic #feltpiano #analogtape #newmusicfriday #bandcampfriday

This improvised composition is inspired by the hypotonic polyrhythms of minimalist music, particularly Phillip Glass, hence the title, which is a play on words as I am also deeply inspired by the nature that surrounds me. To me this piece feels like undulating forms, like the infinite patterns created when waves interact with each other. There are a few pieces on the record that I consider etudes, and this is one of them. In addition to the duplet/triplet interaction and the machine like nature, there are the right hand intervals that use alternating fingers, as well as various interactions of phrase groupings of 2,3,4, 6, and 8. Glassy Conditions is the third and final single before Volume I of The Well-Tempered Spinet is released tomorrow. Volume III is a loose collection of pieces from the compositions that channel classical inspiration, whereas Volume I is an exploration of song and melody, and Volume II is an exploration of soul and jazz music. I hope you enjoy! #solopiano #minimalism #minimalist #minimalistmusic #serialism #phillipglass #waves #ocean #welltempered #welltemperedclavier

I will be performing a very special plein air concert to celebrate the release of The Well-Tempered Spinet in the foothills of Montecito during a superbloom of native wildflowers. There will be an extremely limited amount of tickets available. Please DM me or Natasha @toshnaz if you’re interested!

I was surprised when a DNA test I took revealed that all of my Japanese ancestry traces to Hiroshima Prefecture. “Hiroshima Blues” is an improvisational elegy; a meditation on dislocation, memory, and inherited silence. It was a way to connect to all of the souls with whom I share a past. Musically, I turned to the language of Spiritual Afro-Eastern jazz—modal harmony, pentatonic scales, and devotional intensity—largely because that tradition was created from the same place in the heart, a nostalgia for a severed past. This film footage is of pre-WWII Hiroshima. “Hiroshima Blues,” from Volume II of The Well-Tempered Spirit, “Body,” is now streaming everywhere. #hiroshima #solopiano #spiritualjazz #pentatonic #alicecoltrane #johncoltrane #mccoytyner #japanesemusic

I’m excited to share that I made a solo piano record. It’s called the Well-Tempered Spinet and it’s a three-volume concept album of 24 premeditated improvisations in all major and minor keys, recorded to tape. I tuned my spinet piano to well-temperament, a system that lets each key shine with a unique personality. This is a little snippet of the first single from Volume I, and you can listen to it everywhere now. Let me know what you think! #solopiano #improvisation #bach #thewelltemperedclavier #alternatetuning #meditationmusic