Tatsu Aoki has recorded eight bass albums, eight duet albums with various other artists, 13 ensemble works, and has appeared as a guest artist on over 60 other albums internationally. With works ranging from solo to larger ensemble, from mainstream to avant garde, Aoki has worked with many musical legends, including Fred Anderson, Von Freeman, George Freeman, Malachi Favors Maghostut, Don Moye, Mwata Bowden, Jhon Watson, Sonny Seals, Eric Leonardson, Francis Wong and Carol Genetti.
Among the variety of works produced in the last 15 years, his solo bass performance and recordings are internationally acclaimed, and known for one of the most innovative approaches of the bass instrument.
2022
2021
2020
2020
● “Best of the MIYUMI Project” MIYUMI Project – FPE Records Release 11/20/2020
● “atashi wa rami” – AIR 106
2019
● “Boxes” – AIR 102
● “Fred Anderson Quartet – Live Volume V” – FPE Records
2018
● “Fred Anderson Legacy Band” – AIR00227
● “MIYUMI Project: “RAW and ALIVE II” – AIR0100
● “Reduction Ensemble – MIYUMI Project” – AIR0099
● “Jonathan Chen Orchestra: Feedback” – AIR0098
2017
● “That’s What It WAZ – trio WAZ” – AIR0097
● “And Then They Came For Us \ Un-American” – AIR0096
● “Miyoshi Sketches” by Francis Wong – AIR0094
● “Tsukasa Taiko: Gintenkai”
2016
● “MIYUMI Project: RAW and ALIVE” – AIR0092
● “SKYLAINDING Music of Yoko Ono” by Yoko Ono – AIR0091
● “Fred Anderson Quartet Live Vol. 4” – Asian Improv Records AIR0090
2015
● “Melody Takakata: Page’s” – AIR0088
● Fred Anderson Birthday Quitesscitial Trio Lvie AIR0087
2014
● “Shadow to Shadow” with Melody Takata AIR0086
2013
● “Francis Wong: Wojtck Trio” AIR0085
● “Tsukasa Taiko 2013” AIR0084
2012
● “TOYOAKIMOTO”, AIR0083 with Chizuru Kineya
2011
● “Gintenkai: Amy Homma & Tsukasa Taiko: AIR0081
2010
● Jonathan Chen Orchestra Returns” Asian Improv Records: AIR0079 (Duet withTatsu Aoki)
● “Early Abstractions: Francis Wong Trio ESTRADA Records
2009
● “Three Big Guys plus One” Asian Improrv Records AIR0078
● “Fred Anderson Trio – Birthday Live 2000”, Asian Improv Records AIR0075
2008
● “Fred Anderson Quartet Live Vol. 3, Asian Improv Records, AIR0074
● “SORI” (Duet with Dohee Lee) Asian Improv Records, AIR0073
● “MIYUMI PROJECT Live in Poland” Southport Records, SSD0125
2007
● “Jonathan Chen Orchestra” Asian Improv Records: AIR0072 (Duet withTatsu Aoki)
2006
● “re:ROOTED – the MIYUMI PROJECT” Southport Records: SSD0122
2005
● “First Look” Southport Records: SSD0112 (Duet with Roscoe Mitchell)
● “Ancient Pine” Southport Records: SSD0111 (Duet with Tim O’Dell)
2005
● “Basser Live II” Asian Improv Records: AIR0067 (Solo bass music with JASC Tsukasa Taiko)
● “Graphic Evidence” Asian Improv Records: AIR0066 (with Francis Wong and Jason Kao Hwang)
2004
● “Trio City 2” Southport Records: SSD0108
2003
● “Posture of Reality” Asian Improv Records: AIR0065(Duet with Wu Man)
● “Fred Anderson: Back at the Velvet Lounge” Demark Records: DG549
(Fred Anderson, Maurice Brown, Jeff Parker, Chad Taylor, etc)
2002
● “A Symphony of Cities” Southport Records: SSD0096 (Duet with Famoudou Don Moye)
● “TRIO” Melungeon Records (with Joseph Jarman and Robbie Hunsinger)
2001
● “Fred Anderson: On the Run” Delmark Records: DG534 (Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake/Tatsu Aoki)
● “ROOTED: ORIGINS OF NOW – The MIYUMI PROJECT BIG BAND” Southport Records: SSD0092
● “milk and participants – Tri-Color” Atavistic (Jeff Parker/Dave Pavkovic/Tatsu Aoki)
2000
● “The MIYUMI Project” Southport Records: S-SSD0078
(Mwata Bowden/Patti Adachi/Hide Yoshihashi/Paul Kim/Robbie Hunsinger/Tatsu Aoki)
● “Fred Anderson Quartet Volume II” Asian Improv Records: AIR0054
(Fred Anderson/Hamid Drake/Jeff Parker/Tatsu Aoki)
● “Basser Live” Asian Improv Records: AIR0046
(Solo Bass Music with special guest Paul Kim/John Sagami)
1999
● “mirth + feckless – Tri-Color” Atavistic: alpl08cd
(Jeff Parker/Dave Pavkovic/Tatsu Aoki)
● “Fred Anderson Quartet Volume One” Asian Improv Records: AIR0049
(Fred Anderson/Bill Brimfield/Chad Taylor/Tatsu Aoki)
● “2 X 4” Southport Records: S-SSD
(Duet with Malachi Favors)
● “Power Trio Live” Asian Improv Records: AIR0040
(Aoki/Bowden/Phillard Trio)
1998
● “Finally Elijah” Southport Records: S-SSD0051
(Elijah Levi and Aoki Quartet)
1997
● “FRED – Chicago Chamber Music” Southport Records: S-SSD0043
(A double disc release with Fred Anderson/Afifi Phillard/Tatsu Aoki
● “Live at Blue Rider Theatre” IEL Records: IEL0004 (Solo bass music)
● “Eigen” IEL Records: IEL0003 (Solo bass music)
● “red fire ant trio live in Iowa City” Toe CD 117 (Aoki/Pavkovic/O’Dell Trio)
1996
● “Urban Reception” Southport Records: S-SSD0039
(Aoki/Wong/Pavkovic Trio)
● “FIRE – Von Freeman” Southport Records: S-SSD0035
(Ensemble work with Von Freeman, etc.)
● “Actual Music” Toe Inc.: Toe CD 116
(Duet work with Dave Pavkovic)
1995
● “CHICAGO TIME CODE” Asian Improv Records: AIR0019
(Duet work with Francis Wong)
● “Strange Familiar” BOOKish Inc.: SF101
(Duet work with Lynn Book)
● “If it wasn’t for Paul” Southport Records: S-SSD 0034
(Duet work with Bradley Parker-Sparrow)
1994
● “KIOTO” Asian Improv Records: AIR0017(Solo bass music)
1993
● “Avant Bass Live” IEL Records: IEL0793
(Solo bass music)
● “Needless to Say…” Sound Aspects Records: SASCD047
(Solo bass music)
● “Lynn Book & Tatsu Aoki – Selected Works” IEL Records: cassette only
1992
● “Depressingly Happy” IEL Records: IEL09190429 (Solo bass music)
Tatsu Aoki appears on
● Featured on “Ourania/ Makosica “ Feeding Tube Records (Scheduled for release in 2021)
● Nicole Mitchell’s “Mandorla Awakening II/Black Earth Ensemble” 2018-19
● Hide Yoshihashi and JASC Tsukasa Taiko (06)
● Gintenkai / Amy Homma & Tsukasa Taiko (11)
● Tsukasa Taiko / Gintenkai 2013 unit (13)
Please visit: Tsukasa Taiko website: taikolegacy.com
● Shadow to Shadow / Melody Takata (14) AIR0086
Please visit: GenRyu Arts webasite: genryuarts.org
● Before My Life / Tim O’Dell (01)
● Ancient Pines / Tim O’Dell (05)
● At Wars End / Tim O’Dell (13)
Please visit: Tim O’Dell webasite: timodellmusic.com
● Blue Monday Jam At Hothouse / Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues (94)
● Thrill Me / Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues (96)
● Yoko Meets John / Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues (99)
● Struttin’ With Yoko / Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues (01)
● Live at Kaho Theater / Yoko Noge & The Jazz Me Blues (04)
Please visit: Yoko Noge website: yokonoge.com
● TRIO CITY / Ron Surace with Tatsu Aoki and Dave Pavkovic (01)
● TRIO CITY 2 / Ron Surace with Tatsu Aoki and Dave Pavkovic (04)
● We Are Not Machines / Bradley Parker-Sparrow (01)
As a producer, Aoki has produced over 30 albums, including the legendary Max Roach and Jon Jang’s “Beijing Trio”, as well as projects in the hip hop arena, and a number of other projects in the Asian Pacific American arts, such as film and concert series.
● Kioto Aoki, “ TBD“ , Scheduled Release March 2021
● Da Wei Wang featuring Ben Karas, “Liquid Metal Core“ Scheduled Release March 2021
● Mai Sugimoto, “TBD”, Scheduled Release March 2021
● Jeff Chan, “TBD”, Scheduled Release 2021
● Jason Finkelman, “Kuroshio” Release 11/6/20
● Mwata Bowden, “One Foot In, One Foot Out”, 2019
● Yoko Noge, “The Best of Jazz Me Blues Band”, 2019
● Jon Jang and Francis Wong, “The Pledge of Black Asian Allegiance”, 2019
● Kaori Williams, “Japanese Songs, My Home, My Heart”, 2018
● Tsukasa Taiko and Genryu Arts, “The Gintenkai – Vinyl Edition”, 2018
● Mai Sugimoto, “Born/Raised” 2018
● Jeff Chan w/ Mwata Bowden, et al.“Jeff Chan’s Clarinet Conglomerate”, 2011
● Jeff Chan,Edward Wilkerson Jr. et al , “Horns of Plenty”, 2009
● Wu Man, “Posture of Reality”, 2003
● Beijing Trio / Jon Jang, Jiebing Chen, Max Roach
● Gathering of Ancestors / Francis Wong
● Sounds Like 1996: Asian American Artists
● Experimental Tokyo