Sumi Tonooka

Sumi Tonooka (born October 3, 1956) is an American jazz pianist and composer.

Life Tonooka has an African American father and a Japanese American mother. She earned her B.A in music from the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts.

In addition to her activities as a musician, Tonooka has contributed as a composer to numerous film scores, such as the documentary Queen of the Mountain (2005). She has also taught piano at Bard College and at Dutchess Community College in New York and worked as an assistant to Kenny Barron at Rutgers University.

Discography With an Open Heart (with Rufus Reid, Akira Tana) (1990) Taking Time (with Craig Handy, Rufus Reid, Akira Tana) (1991) Here Comes Kai (with Rufus Reid, Lewis Nash) (1992) Secret Places (with Rufus Reid, Lewis Nash) (1998) Kindred Spirits (with John Blake Jr.) (2000) Long Ago Today (with Rufus Reid, Bob Braye) (2005) Initiation (with Erica Lindsay, Rufus Reid, Bob Braye) (2009) Now (Solo Live at the Howland) (2012) Under the Surface (2025)