08/18/2026
A superb performer at the Simon’s Valley Stream Jazz Festival: Yayoi Ikawa
Yayoi has been a valued presence within the Haitian community for many years, generously sharing her extraordinary talent as a jazz pianist. Though she is Japanese by origin, music, so often a bridge between worlds has rendered borders and differences almost irrelevant.
I first had the pleasure of hearing her perform at L’Antillaise in 2018. The following year, in 2019, just before the onset of COVID, she came to my home accompanied by a remarkable ensemble of musicians. What unfolded that day was far more than a performance; it was a deeply memorable experience. The jazz was, quite simply, superlative.
Yayoi also played a pivotal role in opening the door to our first performance opportunity at the Village Green Bandshell in Valley Stream in 2024. For this, and for so much more, I remain sincerely grateful.
She is not a conventional player, and perhaps that is precisely her strength. She brings her own distinct musical language to jazz while remaining fully at home within its broader tradition. And yes, when the moment calls for it, Yayoi can be truly explosive.
Music has an extraordinary ability to bring people together. At times, we meet a musician and remember the music; at other times, we meet a musician and realize that the music has become part of our own journey.
Thank you, Yayoi, for being part of ours.
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I will write about my friend, Edy Brisseaux, soon, another jazz innovator who showed once again his might, but for the first time at the Simon’s Valley Stream Jazz Festival.
Herold Simon, M.D.
Simon's Valley Stream Jazz Festival
Ikawa
HAÏTI⭐LEGENDS
Slay, Esq.
Nicole Francis
Ambrose
Cazale Community and Cultural Center Inc.
@ heal Haiti
Adele Flateau
Small Jazz Place
JazzCorner
Alix Ambroise Jr.
combo
Brisseaux
