Miki Hirose

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Miki Hirose (born 1984) is a Japanese jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger from Kobe, Japan. He performs in styles ranging from modern jazz and Latin to funk and hip-hop, and is active both in Japan and in New York. In addition to leading his own groups, he is also an educator and a radio host.

Career

Hirose began playing the trumpet at Konan Junior High School in Kobe under the instruction of Takayuki Shimamoto. He began performing in the Kansai area, and in 2002 he received the Nakayama Seiji Jazz Award and the Naniwa Arts Festival Newcomer Encouragement Prize.

In 2003, at the age of 19, Hirose moved to New York to begin his music career. He declined a scholarship offer from Berklee College of Music in Boston and focused instead on performance in New York. He performed in jazz, salsa, hip-hop, and funk genres, joining groups such as the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra, and La Excelencia. He also appeared in the BBC documentary Latin Music USA.

Hirose has cited several albums as personal favorites and influences, including Clifford Brown with Strings, the live album My Funny Valentine, and April in Paris by Count Basie. These works reflect his appreciation for both traditional and modern jazz forms.

In 2010, he released his debut album, Scratch. It received positive reviews from jazz critics. Karl Ackermann of All About Jazz noted its “strong compositions and tight group dynamics.” Edward Blanco described the album as “a very fine debut.”

In 2014, he returned to Japan and is now based in Kobe. He received the Kobe City Cultural Encouragement Prize in 2015, and in 2017 he was awarded both the Naniwa Jazz Award and the Naniwa Arts Festival Newcomer Encouragement Prize. He teaches at Osaka College of Music and Koyo Conservatory of Music, and hosts the radio program Kobe Jazz-Phonic Radio on Radio Kansai.

Musical activity

Hirose leads his own quintet and the Miki Hirose Jazz Orchestra. His albums include The Golden Mask (2020), El valor (2024), and Air, a 2021 duo album with pianist Mayuko Katakura. He also released the big band album Relight Delight (2021). In addition to his own groups, Hirose has performed with ensembles such as the Junko Onishi Sextet, Shigeki Ikemoto Large Ensemble "Isles," and the Kohei Nakabayashi Orchestra.

In a review of the Global Jazz Orchestra’s album Global Warming, in which Hirose was a featured soloist, critic Jack Bowers of All About Jazz described the band as “world-class.”

In 2025, Hirose was featured in an official cultural program for Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai.

Awards

• 2002 – Nakayama Seiji Jazz Award
• 2002 – Naniwa Arts Festival Newcomer Encouragement Prize
• 2015 – Kobe City Cultural Encouragement Prize
• 2017 – Naniwa Jazz Award
• 2017 – Naniwa Arts Festival Newcomer Encouragement Prize

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