Masakazu Yoshizawa (吉沢 政和, September 10, 1950 – October 24, 2007) was a Japanese American flutist and musician, known for his mastery of the bamboo flute, specifically the shakuhachi.

[1] Yoshizawa's work and music were featured in a number of major Hollywood studio films and soundtracks, including The Joy Luck Club and Memoirs of a Geisha.

[1] He began to be hired as a shakuhachi player for film and television, which quickly converted his passion for Japanese music into a full-fledged career.

[1] Yoshizawa began his collaboration with acclaimed film composer, John Williams, on Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster, Jurassic Park.

He once told the Cultural News web site that Williams asked him to play the shakuhachi for Jurassic Park because the instrument "sounds like a dinosaur's cry.

[1] Yoshizawa was initially hired for the movie as a drummer for the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack, but was soon asked to play the shakuhachi and other traditional instruments for the film instead.

John Williams released a statement to the Los Angeles Times following Yoshizawa's death: "Masa was a brilliant musician and a very important member of the orchestra, and he will be greatly missed.