Fumio Karashima (辛島文雄, 9 March 1948 – 24 February 2017) was a Japanese jazz pianist.

Karashima began playing the piano at the age of three. His father was a music teacher at Kyushu University; Karashima attended the same university. He stayed in New York in 1973, but returned to Japan the next year. In 1975 he joined drummer George Ohtsuka's band. In 1980 he joined Elvin Jones' Jazz Machine, and stayed for five years, including for tours of Europe and the United States. He then switched to being principally a solo pianist, but also led a quintet from 1988 to 1991. During the 1990s he frequently toured internationally. He died of cancer on 24 February 2017.

Discography

2015* Everything I Love Pit Inn Solo piano
2014* A Time for Love Pit Inn Trio, with Satsuki Kusui (bass), Nobuyuki Komatsu (drums)
2012* Summertime Pit Inn Quintet, with Atsushi Ikeda and Masanori Okazaki (sax), Satsuk Kusui (bass), Nobuyuki Komastsu (drums)
2010* E.J. Blues Pit Inn Quartet, with Masanori Okazaki (sax), Ryu Kawamura (bass), Takeo Moriyama (drums)
2008 Moon River VideoArts Solo piano
2005 Great Time VideoArts Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)
2003 It's Just Beginning VideoArts Trio, with Yosuke Inoue (bass), Shingo Okudaira (drums)
2002 Grand New Touch VideoArts Duo, with Kei Akagi (piano)
2001 The Elysian Air VideoArts Trio, with Yosuke Inoue (bass), Shingo Okudaira (drums)
1999* Rencontre Emarcy, Polydor Japan Duet, with Toots Thielemans
1983 Round Midnight Absord Quartet, with Larry Coryell (guitar), Ikuo Sakurai (bass), Motohiko Hino (drums)
1982 Elegant Evening Absord Trio, with Ikuo Sakurai (bass), Motohiko Hino (drums)
1981 A Child in the Wind Absord Trio, with Richard Davis (bass), George Ohtsuka (drums)
1980 Sho Absord Trio, with Nobuyoshi Ino (bass), George Ohtsuka (drums)
1978 Hot Islands Absord Quartet, with Mabumi Yamaguchi (sax), Miroslav Vitous (bass), George Ohtsuka (drums)
1978 Moonflower Absord Trio, with Andy McCloud (bass), Elvin Jones (drums)
1977 Gathering Three Blind Mice Most tracks trio, with Isao Suzuki (bass), George Ohtsuka (drums); one track solo piano
1977 Landscape Whynot Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Motohiko Hino (drums)
1975 Piranha Whynot Trio, with Isao Suzuki (bass), Jimmy Hopps (drums)

An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.

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