For Someone Makoto Ozone

• 1 Untold Stories 04:36
• 2 Rolling Tales 05:41
• 3 Wa 03:59
• 4 Bandoska 05:13
• 5 Until That Wall Falls 04:28
• 6 For Someone 04:47
• 7 Pasja 04:30
• 8 Pamiętajmy o Aniołach 03:43
• 9 Friends 06:30
• 10 Chasing the Horizon 05:51
• Total Runtime 49:18

Info for For Someone

The first release from Ozone Makoto's new label, "Mo-Zone." TRiNFiNiTY's second album celebrates the beauty of diversity in a world of perpetual division.

Globally active pianist Ozone Makoto has launched a new jazz label, "Mo-Zone," with distribution support from Universal Music. The commemorative debut release is the second album from the trio "TRiNFiNiTY," formed in 2023 to mark the 40th anniversary of Ozone's debut.

The trio, featuring bassist Ogawa Shinpei and drummer Kita Kunito, are members of "From OZONE till Dawn," a project of young musicians who are the next generation of leaders spearheaded by Ozone and actor Kamino Misuzu. The trio released their first album, "TRiNFiNiTY," in January 2024. Since then, they have been actively performing both in Japan and abroad.

The album was recorded at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg, Germany, after the conclusion of a European tour in the spring of 2025. For Ozone, the studio is a place of fond memories, having visited in the 1980s while recording Gary Burton's ECM albums ("Real Life Hits" and "Whiz Kids").

Moved by the current global situation that threatens peace, Ozone has created this album with a strong message, including songs in which he expresses his strong desire for peace as a human being through music. Four tracks feature close friend Ana Maria Jopek, a renowned Polish singer (her first appearance on an Ozone album in 15 years), showcasing her stunning vocals.

"Makoto Ozone is one of my closest and most important musical friends—we have performed countless times together around the world in an enormous range of repertoire. I honestly think Makoto is a genius—who else is a jazz titan who has mastered Mozart, Rachmaninov and Beethoven? Makoto’s Rhapsody in Blue is definitive. A perfect, faithful interpretation of Gershwin’s masterpiece that takes it to new places every time he performs it. Each time we have performed the work, I am astonished by the freshness and creativity, not to mention the technical brilliance. Makoto’s Gershwin is not to be missed!" (Alan Gilbert, July 2025)

"Makoto Ozone brings a completely fresh, free and spontaneous spirit to any music he is playing, like no one else. He always remains loyal to the composer's intentions, but adds much radiance with his own fascinating and personal improvisations. A pure joy to listen!" (Lahav Shani, July 2025)

Makoto Ozone, piano, Hammond Organ A-100
Shinpei Ogawa, bass
Kitaku Kunitto, drums, percussion
Ana Maria Jopek, vocals tracks 3, 4, 6, 8)

Makoto Ozone
is a unique force in both jazz and classical music, blending sound worlds and a host of influences into his performances. Born in Kobe, Japan, he was self-taught in jazz, under his father’s guidance, first on the organ, then piano. He first came to public attention when he gave his solo recital at the Carnegie Hall in 1983, following his graduation from Berklee College of Music. Ozone then became the first Japanese artist to sign an exclusive contract with CBS and released his first album, Ozone, a year after his Carnegie debut.

His stellar career in jazz, which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2003, has brought him regularly to the forefront of the international jazz scene, recording and touring with musicians such as Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Paquito D'Rivera, Anna Maria Jopek, Branford Marsalis, and others. In 2004, he formed his own big band in Japan, "No Name Horses" which has regularly toured to Europe, North America and Asia since its creation. In more recent years, Ozone has expanded into classical repertoire, alongside his jazz engagements. Having first performed Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue in 1996, he now performs concertos by Mozart, Bernstein, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov with major orchestras. Alongside his performing schedule, Ozone composes music, with over 300 pieces to his name, many for ‘No Name Horses’, as well as a symphony and piano concerto.

In 2014, Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic invited Ozone to join their Asian tour. Following this, he performed with the orchestra at the Lincoln Center, New York, in 2014 and again in 2017, from which a recording ‘Beyond Borders’ with performances of Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue and Bernstein The Age of Anxiety was released. He has collaborated with a prestigious list of conductors including François-Xavier Roth, Marin Alsop, Alan Gilbert, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Lahav Shani, Thomas Zehetmair and Charles Dutoit and orchestras including San Francisco Symphony, Sao Paulo Symphony, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, as well as many orchestras in Japan, such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra and Sapporo Symphony.

Recent highlights include Ozone’s debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France / Lahav Shani, Detroit Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin and Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra / Christian Arming. This season, Ozone will perform with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra both in Japan and Scotland.

Makoto Ozone has an extensive discography, releasing over 30 albums under his name and as a composer in solo, duo and trio settings, as well as performing as a collaborator on many others. His many awards include the Kinokuniya Theatre Award (2000), Kobe City Culture Award (2005), Fumio Nanri Prize (2007), Hyogo Prefecture Culture Award (2009), Art Encouragement of Education, Culture, Sports, Science Minister's Prize (2014). In 2018, Ozone received the Medal of Honour with Purple Ribbon by the Government of Japan. This is Japan’s highest award to individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation’s academic or cultural life.

This album contains no booklet.