Karen Shiraishi is a pianist based in New Orleans. Her debut album, “Now I Know”, featuring Herlin Riley is set to be released in October 2026. Having already developed a self-assured, recognisable voice as a composer and improviser, her music is melodically driven, harmonically rich, and imbued with an effervescent swing feel. She has gained attention in the traditional music scene, appearing frequently with Shannon Powell, Stephen Walker and the Preservation Hall All-Stars. Equally in demand in the straight-ahead scene, Shiraishi balances an active performing schedule as a sideman alongside her work as a bandleader.

Born and raised in London to Japanese parents, Shiraishi was classically trained from a young age. She fell in love with the sound of black American music as a teen, obsessively listening to Stevie Wonder and Art Blakey records. She spent her formative years immersed in the vibrant London music scene, cutting her teeth under the mentorship of Julian Joseph OBE. She went on to study at Berklee College of Music, where she learned from the late great Ralph Peterson, Tia Fuller and NEA Jazz Masters Joanne Brackeen and Terri Lyne Carrington. Her mentors instilled in her a respect for tradition while encouraging her to develop her own voice.

Shiraishi has performed across the country and the world, including the London Jazz Festival, DC Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Jazz Club NY, Bern Jazz Festival, Ascona Jazz Festival, Novosibirsk Jazz Festival and more. She is a recipient of the 2021 Countess of Munster Musical Trust Award, as well as a 2025 grant from Chamber Music America’s Performance Plus program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Foundation.

Since moving to New Orleans in 2022, Shiraishi has performed at the Jazz & Heritage festival with Trumpet Mafia, Jeremy Davenport and Stephen Walker. Shiraishi is one of the founding members of the “Cuttin’ Up” sessions at Vaughan’s lounge, which has become a cultural hub for a new generation of young musicians and diehard live music goers on the local scene.