Japanese drummer Yoichi Kobayashi and his ensemble, Monk's Trio, will take center stage in the upcoming concert of the Jazz Season, held in the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum. The event will take place on Monday, May 12th, at 7:00 PM. The group will also perform in Brașov on May 9th, at Sala Patria, and on May 10th, at the Tulip Jazz Festival in Pitești. We learn more directly from Yoshi Kobayashi himself, in an interview with Viorel Grecu.

Let's start with Monk's Trio and the repertoire you will be performing.

Monk's Trio isn't a reference to Thelonious Monk. Monk ("călugărul") -is actually my nickname, which is why the band is called Monk's Trio. We mainly play bebop standards. Our pianist is a great admirer of Bud Powell. We'll also perform one of my own compositions, titled Akita Rap. In Japan, there's a city called Akita that hosts a traditional drum festival. I draw on those rhythms and try to engage younger audiences by blending them with elements of rap. That's how Akita Rap was born, and we'll be performing it in Romania as well.

Who are the other members of your trio?

Kanji Ohta is a well-known pianist in Japan, with a strong focus on bebop. His playing is influenced by Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Barry Harris-pianists in that tradition. Our bassist, Takumi Awaya, played with Sadao Watanabe for over five years. He's one of the finest bassists in Japan. He plays the upright bass without amplification-just pure acoustic jazz bass.

Could you also tell us about some of your other notable projects, such as Goodfellows and Japanese Jazz Messengers?

You know about those groups? Thank you very much! In Goodfellows, I work with musicians from New York, since I lived there for 16 years. When I was younger, I used to play on the street with saxophonist Vincent Herring. He was 19 and I was 29. He later became quite famous, but we're still collaborating in Goodfellows-even though that was 40 years ago. Japanese Jazz Messengers came about after I played in New York with Evelyn Blakey, Art Blakey's daughter, who was a vocalist. I later invited her to Japan twice for recording sessions. After Art Blakey passed away, she organized a tribute concert and invited me and my band-this is how we came to be known as the Japanese Jazz Messengers.

This is your first time in Romania, and you'll be performing three concerts, the final one at the Romanian Athenaeum-a venue of special significance to us.

I'm truly moved, and I must thank producer Sebastian Gheorghiu. I'm honored to have this opportunity, and my fellow musicians Kanji and Takumi are equally delighted.