Hailing from Ichikawa, Japan, jazz guitarist Hajime Yoshida is a distinguished artist in New York City's vibrant music scene. His early fascination with music led him to study violin and perform recitals before he took up guitar at 14. After a year of guitar lessons in Tokyo and composing his own pieces, Hajime moved to the U.S. at 18 to study Jazz Performance at the University of North Texas. There, he trained under Fred Hamilton and performed with the 3 O’Clock Lab Band. In 2009, Hajime relocated to New York, where he completed his master’s degree in jazz performance at Queens College in 2011. His debut album, Unlimitation (2012), featured a talented ensemble including Sylvester Onyejiaka, Yuka Tadano, and Keita Ogawa. He continued to make waves with his subsequent albums, Myriorama and Myriorama 2 (2021 and 2023), co-led with bassist Yoshiki Yamada. As a sideman, Hajime contributed to Sylvester Onyejiaka’s Akuma (2014) and collaborated with renowned musicians from Snarky Puppy. He has also performed with Evan Weiss, Shelley Carroll, and Ayumi Ishito, including a 2024 tour in Japan. In the theater world, Hajime recently performed at Lincoln Center with Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Michael R. Jackson. Hajime is also a member of the jazz-rock trio Knew Roy, which released the single “Weekender” in 2021. The trio has toured Japan, performing in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. In 2015, Hajime was a finalist at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center Jazz Guitar Competition.