Yumi Ito Band

Yumi Ito is considered one of the most original and exciting voices of contemporary jazz. The award-winning singer, composer and producer based in Basel (Switzerland) performs worldwide and has already shared the stage with international greats such as Al Jarreau, Becca Stevens and Mark Turner.

With her fifth album Ysla (enja, 2023), Yumi Ito combines personal stories, impressive improvisations and an unmistakable voice. The work combines elements of art-pop, jazz and neoclassical music and is emblematic of an island – proud, stoic and powerful in the musical ocean. She performs both as a solo artist and with her internationally-studded band, which includes Alessio Cazzetta (guitar), Nadav Erlich (double bass) and Iago Fernández (drums).

At the heart of her artistic work is the creation of musical worlds without stylistic boundaries. Yumi Ito is present on international stages, including the Blue Note Jazz Festival (USA), Montreux Jazz Festival (CH), European Showcase jazzahead! 2024 (DE), Jazzmandu Festival (NP), Vejer Jazz Festival (ES), Schaffhauser Jazzfestival (CH), Jazzfest Trondheim (NO), Cairo Jazz Festival (EG) and the Jazz Festival Basel «offbeat» (CH).

Her recent performances include sold-out concerts at the JazzArt Festival at NOSPR (Katowice, Poland), the Veneto Jazz Festival at Teatro La Fenice (Venice, Italy), the Akbank Jazz Festival (Istanbul, Turkey), the Euro-Venezuelan Jazz Festival (Venezuela) and the ZOA Festival in Ardagger Stift (Austria).

Yumi Ito is a prize winner of the Montreux Jazz Competition, completed the renowned Focus Year Program under the direction of Wolfgang Muthspiel at the Jazzcampus Basel (2017–2018), received the High Priority Jazz Scholarship of Pro Helvetia (2022–2024) and was unanimously selected by the jury for the European Showcase at jazzahead! 2024 in Bremen.