Yoriyuki Harada belongs to the elite of Japanese free jazz scene. It is unique in terms of its music and its approach to music making.

Yorijuki Harada (b. 1948) is a self-taught pianist. He graduatedfrom the Kunitachi Music College as a clarinettist, but before long
started feeling dissatisfaction with strict canons of classical
music. Upon graduation, he and his schoolmate and improvisation
partner Kazutoki Umezu went to New York, where they made their first recording at Seikatsu Koujon linkai New York Branch.
After returning to Japan in 1976, the two friends formed Shudan-Sokai quartet with Mori Junji and Kikuchi Takashi. Two years later theyhave gathered together other compatriots and the quartet grew intoSeikatsu-Kojo-iinkai Orchestra, the collective that earned
recognition throughout Japan for its humorous appearances.
After quitting his work in the Orchestra, Yoriyuki Harada
collaborated with Andrew Cyrille, DON MOYE, Tristan Honsinger, Henry Grimes, Tobias Delius, Togashi Masahiko and many other improvisers. However, he has never tried to live from music or seek any type of support from the music industry because this would be boring. For almost 30 years Yoriyuki Harada has performed in Japan just once a month and only in his favourite venue jazz club Aketa-no-mise. According to the pianist, to appear more often would be difficult, because every performance requires a special inner state. He does not own piano, since he decided to come into contact with the instrument only on stage. Japanese critics call him the Monster pianist. When he is on stage it is full of sweat and emotion, his fingers dash on the keyboard like a lightning bolt. never have any motif in my music and I never think about my music, says Harada. But the audiences chew on his performances long after they are over.

Vladimir Tarasov was born in Archangelsk, Russia.
Since 1968 he has lived and worked in Vilnius, Lithuania. For many years Tarasov performed with the Lithuanian Symphonic Orchestra and other symphonic, chamber, and jazz orchestras in Lithuania, Europe and the USA.
From 1971 to 1986, Tarasov was a member of the well-known contemporary jazz music trio – GTC (Viatcheslav Ganelin, Vladimir Tarasov, Vladimir Chekasin). With the Trio and many other artists and orchestras he has recorderd more than 100 records and CDs including numerous solo performances.
V. Tarasov also writes music for orchestras, film, and theatre: Staatstheater, Stuttgart – 1995, Majestic Theater at The Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York – 1995; Josef Nadj Centre Choreographique National Orleans, Orleans – 1998, 2004; Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, Meierhold Centre, Moskow – 2003; Arte France, Paris – 2006, Eudeka Media, Poland; Yleisradio, Finland – 2009, etc.
Since 1991 he has been working in the visual arts, both solo, and collaborating with artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Sarah Flohr, and others. He has participated in many one-person and group exhibitions: Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf – 1991; La Biennale de Venezia, Venice – 1993; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago – 1993; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris – 1995; Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren – 1998; Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris – 2000; Contemporary Art Center – DOM, Moscow – 2002; State Tretyakov Gallery,Moskow, The State Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg – 2004; The State Russian Museum St.Petersburg, Ludwig Museum in The Russian Museum – 2003, 2005; National Centre for Contemporary Arts (NCCA), Moscow – 2006, 2008. 2010; Copper Smithy, Fiskars, Finland – 2006; 2nd and 3rd Biennale of Contemporary Art, Moscow – 2007, 2009; El Pabellon de las Artes, EXPO-2008, Zaragoza; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach – 2008, etc.
In 1999 Tarasov directed the play “Drink Up” (adapted from the poem by Venedikt Erofejev) at the Russian Drama Theatre of Lithuania. On the same stage in 2002, Tarasov directed the opera “The Return of Dionysos” by Edwin Geist (1902 – 1942).
He has taught and given lectures at the Podewill Center in Berlin, the Music Academy in Bremen, and the Academy of Art, Orleans (France); the Kunst Akademie Düsseldorf; the Art Academy, Vilnius; the Art Department at California State University, Sacramento; the Department of Music at the Universtiy of the Pacific, Stockton, California; and at the Institute for Studio Studies in conjunction with the Yale University Summer Session in Pont Aven, France.
In 1993 – 1994, he received a grant from the Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart (Germany); and in 1998 from the Civitella Ranieri Center in Italy. He is the author of the book, “Trio,” published by “Baltos Lankos” publishing house (Vilnius, 1998), “NLO” publishing house (Moscow, 2004), Hosei University (Japan 2016) and “Tam – Tam” published by “NLO” publishing house (Moscow, 2009).
In 2009, Vladimir Tarasov received the Triumph Prize in Moscow: Russia’s independent prize for the highest achievements in literature and art. He was awarded Lithuania’s National Culture and Arts Prize in 2016.
Mr. Tarasov has performed with such musicians and artists as Andrew Cyrille, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Anthony Braxton, Lauren Newton, and Josef Nadj.