A boundary-pushing saxophonist and clarinetist, Yuma Uesaka is known for his work in modern creative jazz, avant-garde, and new classical music. Uesaka has been active since the 2000s and came to wider attention with 2019's Ocelot, the eponymous debut from his trio with Colin Hinton and Cat Toren. In 2021, he released Streams, a duo collaboration with pianist Marilyn Crispell.

Born in 1991 in London, Uesaka lived in Nagoya, Japan before moving with his family to West Bloomfield, Michigan at the age of eight. There, he started on the saxophone at age ten and added clarinet two years later. After high school, he attended the University of Michigan, and he earned bachelor's degrees in both Jazz Studies and Computer Science Engineering. He also studied at the prestigious Banff Jazz and Creative Music Workshop, where he worked with performers like Vijay Iyer, Nicole Mitchell, and Tyshawn Sorey. Based in New York City, Uesaka has performed with a bevy of forward-thinking artists, including Anna Webber, Jorge Roeder, Allison Miller, and Adam O'Farrill, among others. As a leader, he released his debut EP, Spear and Shield, in 2015. He also co-leads the collaborative trio Ocelot with Colin Hinton and Cat Toren, who released their debut album in 2019. In 2021, Uesaka paired with acclaimed pianist Marilyn Crispell for the duo album Streams. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi