Artist page

Ryo Fukui (福居良 Fukui Ryo, June 1, 1948 – March 15, 2016) was a Japanese jazz pianist based in Sapporo. He was the owner of the "Slowboat" jazz club, where he performed regularly alongside his wife, Yasuko. Fukui began teaching himself piano in 1970 at the age of 22 and released his first album, Scenery, in 1976, followed by Mellow Dream the next year. He continued to enhance his skills through live performances, often playing in a trio at various venues, including the Shinjuku Pit Inn, Kichijōji "Sometime" jazz club, and "Jazz Inn Lovely" in Nagoya. His third album, My Favorite Tune, was recorded in 1994 and released in 1995, though it has become rare, with only a few CD copies known to exist. He released In New York in 1999, featuring drummer Leroy Williams and bassist Lisle Arthur Atkinson. His final album, A Letter from Slowboat, is a live recording from the "Slowboat" jazz club and was released in 2015.

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