Terumasa Hino

Terumasa Hino was born on October 25, 1942, in Tokyo to a musical family. His father was a tap dancer and trumpeter who introduced him to American jazz. Hino learned tap dancing at age four and took up trumpet at age nine. He developed his skills through self-study rather than formal conservatory training, spending hours in Shinjuku jazz cafés transcribing solos by Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Lee Morgan. At age thirteen in 1955, he began performing professionally in American military clubs in Tokyo, inspired by pioneering Japanese jazz musicians Fumio Nanri and Hiroshi Sakaue.

Hino’s early career established him as a serious musician in Japan’s jazz scene. From 1964 to 1969, he led his own band while also playing trumpet in Hideo Shiraki’s Quintet. His debut solo album Alone, Alone and Alone (1967) presented hard bop and post-bop styles with a quartet format. The following year brought the Hino-Kikuchi Quintet (1968), a collaboration with pianist Masabumi Kikuchi and tenor saxophonist Takeru Muraoka that shifted toward modal jazz. Hi-Nology (1969) marked his breakthrough as a fusion artist, recorded with his brother Motohiko on drums and electric piano, featuring the piece “Like Miles” alongside Muraoka’s tenor saxophone. The album achieved critical and commercial success in Japan.

Hino relocated to New York in mid-1975 to work with international musicians including Joachim Kühn, Gil Evans, Jackie McLean, Hal Galper, Sam Jones, and Elvin Jones. His 1970s albums explored modal and avant-garde territory, including Into the Heaven (1970), Vibrations (1971), and Journey Into My Mind (1974). These recordings attracted both Japanese and American audiences. Daydream (1980) and Double Rainbow (1981) showcased his mature fusion style influenced by Miles Davis, featuring pianist Masabumi Kikuchi, bassist Eddie Gomez, and percussionist Airto Moreira. His sound demonstrated growing technical mastery and harmonic sophistication.

From the late 1980s onward, Hino divided his time between Japan and international touring. He adopted the cornet alongside trumpet and shifted toward acoustic hard bop, responding to jazz’s neo-bop movement. Acoustic Boogie (1996) reunited him with Kikuchi and saxophonist Greg Osby. Later releases including Transfusion (2002), Dragon (2006), and Crimson (2007) for Sony Music maintained his artistic relevance. In 2011, he recorded Aftershock, a hip-hop fusion project with DJ Honda that demonstrated his continued willingness to explore new musical directions. Hino received the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon in 2014 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2019. He remains recognized as one of Japan’s most important jazz musicians and a significant figure in international jazz history.