title: Masaru Imada
text: # Masaru Imada
  
  Masaru Imada (今田勝, Imada Masaru, born 21 March 1932) is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer.
  
  ## Life and career
  
  Imada was born in Tokyo on 21 March 1932. He had classical piano lessons. He played jazz in student bands while a student at Meiji University, after which he worked in business for a year. He then decided to pursue music professionally. From 1953 he was part of clarinetist Eiji Kitamura's band.
  
  Imada had his own trio from 1964. He formed Now'in, a fusion band, in 1984. He played internationally at jazz festivals from the 1970s.
  
  ## Discography
  
  An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.
  
  ### As leader/co-leader
  
  | Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1970* | Maki | | Quartet, with tenor sax, bass, drums |
  | 1970* | Now! | Three Blind Mice | Quartet, with tenor sax, bass, drums |
  | 1973 | Poppy | Three Blind Mice | Some tracks solo piano; some tracks trio, with Isao Fukui (bass), Masahiko Ozu (drums) |
  | 1975 | Green Caterpillar | Three Blind Mice | Quintet, with Kazumi Watanabe (guitar), Isao Fukui (bass), Tetsujiro Obara (drums), Yuji Imamura (percussion) |
  | 1976 | Masaru Imada Piano | Three Blind Mice | Solo piano |
  | 1977 | Alone Together | Three Blind Mice | Duo, with George Mraz (bass) |
  | 1980 | Andalusian Breeze | Trio | With Kazumi Watanabe (guitar), Mitsuaki Furuno (bass), Shinji Mori (drums), Yuji Imamura (percussion) |
  | 1981 | Carnival | Trio | With Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Kiyoshi Sugimoto (guitar), Akira Okazawa (bass), Yuichi Tokashiki (drums), Yuji Imamura (percussion) |
  | 1982* | Seaside | | With Grover Washington, Jr. (tenor sax, alto sax, soprano sax, flute), Tom Brown (trumpet), Steve Kahn (guitar), Anthony Jackson (bass), Steve Jordan (drums), Manolo Badrena (percussion) |
  | 1986* | Strange Conversation | Polydor | Quartet, with keyboard, bass, drums |
  | 1988* | Azure | | Sextet |
  | 2002* | Standards | Three Blind Mice | |
  