Fumi Tomita

Fumi Tomita is a jazz bassist, composer, educator, and author.  As a bassist, he was active in the New York jazz scene for over fifteen years.  His 2019 recording, The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the Short Stories of Haruki Murakami, was released to critical acclaim by Origin Arts records and was listed in the top ten records of 2019 by Jazziz. His 2020 release Celebrating Bird: The Music of Charlie Parker was similarly received.  He most recently appeared on tenor saxophonist David Detweiler’s latest recording, There Used To Be Rain, from May 2023.  Tomita has performed at venues all over the U.S. and Canada including recent appearances at the International Society of Bassists Conference in Ann Harbor, Michigan in June 2023 and the Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans and a short tour of Georgia, both in January 2024.

As an author, his second book, Introduction to Early Jazz: A Concise Introduction from Its Beginnings through 1929, was published by State University of New York Press in February 2024. His first book, The Jazz Rhythm Section, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in conjunction with NAfME in 2019.  He has also published articles in Bass World, Jazz Perspectives, and the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Journal.  He regularly presents his research at conferences including those hosted by Rhythm Changes, the International Society of Bassists, Issues in Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Education Network, International Society for Improvised Music, BassEurope, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.  He holds three degrees in jazz performance: a B.M. from McGill University, an M.M. from Manhattan School of Music, and a D.M.A. from the Eastman School of Music.  He is currently Associate Professor of Jazz at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he has been teaching since 2015.