Masabumi Kikuchi

Masabumi Kikuchi (菊地 雅章 Kikuchi Masabumi, 19 October 1939 – 6 July 2015) was a Japanese jazz pianist and composer known for his eclectic music that ranges from vanguard classical to fusion and digital music. He worked with a large number of diverse musicians, including Lionel Hampton, Sonny Rollins, Woody Herman, Mal Waldron, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Miles Davis, Paul Motian, Billy Harper and Hannibal Peterson.

Masabumi Kikuchi was born in Tokyo in 1939, and lived his early life in WWII and post-war Japan. He studied music at the Tokyo Art College High School. After graduating, he joined Lionel Hampton's Japanese touring band. He died from a subdural hematoma on 6 July 2015 at a hospital in Manhasset, New York. At the time of his death, he lived in Manhattan, New York City.