Musician’s life in ruins
Beloved pianist may never play after bashing by teens
A renowned Japanese jazz pianist was brutally attacked after bumping into a group of teens at a Harlem subway station, authorities said.
Tadataka Unno, 40, was leaving the W. 135th station near St. Nicholas Park around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 and tried to get around a group of teens blocking the exit turnstile. One of the girls pushed him, claiming that the musician had bumped into her, cops said.
“My girl is pregnant!” her boyfriend screamed, as he repeatedly punched Unno in the head, police said.
The musician, known to friends as Tada, tried to scramble out of the station but the enraged teen knocked him on the ground and screamed “Chinese!” police sources said.
Medics took Unno to Harlem Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. There have been no arrests.
The NYPD was investigating, but cops said it’s not yet clear if a hate crime was committed.
Friends said the jazz pianist broke his collarbone in the attack and can no longer play or provide for his wife or 4-month-old baby, according to a GoFundMe page.
Unno was expected to undergo surgery Friday to repair his damaged shoulder, fellow musician Jerome Jennings wrote on the page, which included photos of Unno’s bruised arm.
Jazz musicians from across the city shared their shock on social media.
“I was shocked last night to hear of this attack & terrible tragedy,” jazz vocalist and Broadway star Tony Middleton wrote on Facebook. Middleton was part of the famed 1950s doo-wop group The Willows.
“Hoping you heal quickly & your arms & hands are back to playing & sharing your extraordinary gift on the piano real soon,” he wrote.
Jazz pianist Benny Green described Unno as a “gentle and non-violent person.”
“I just can’t imagine him having done anything to incite an altercation,” Green wrote on Facebook. “Sometimes bad things happen to really good and kind, innocent people who mind their own business and never bother others.”
Unno was born in Tokyo and began playing piano at age 4. He started jazz piano five years later and moved to the U.S. in 2008, according to his website.
Unno has played at a number of famous jazz clubs throughout his career, including the Village Vanguard, Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s Club and the Blue Note Jazz Club. He’s also performed with jazz greats Jimmy Cobb, Roy Hargrove, Winard Harper, John Pizzarelli and Clifton Anderson, his website noted.
Jennings called his longtime friend “one of the brightest lights in jazz piano.”
“I have known Tada to be one of the kindest and gentlest souls,” said Jennings. “He suffers from trauma from this attack. Due to his broken collar bone he cannot play and does not know when he will be able to.”