Japanese finish in first and second places at prestigious Belgian saxophone contest
Japanese saxophonists finished first and second in the seventh Adolphe Sax International Competition, which was held in Belgium through Saturday. Kenta Saito, 27, from Tokyo won the first prize, held in Dinant, southern Belgium, the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. Saito ...
Charles Lloyd: 'Looking for the one note that can say it all'
Few musicians in any era, in any genre, have had such lengthy and varied creative journeys as saxophonist Charles Lloyd. The longevity of his 60-year career is honorable enough, but the unpredictability of his path and the ebb and flow of his musical ideas ...
Sadao Watanabe, Japan's godfather of jazz, passes on his wisdom
Before he became one of Japan's best-loved jazz musicians, saxophone player Sadao Watanabe was one of the first Japanese musicians to study in the United States. As a young man he studied at Berklee College of Music, in Boston. "Back then, the journey was long. ...
For Yurie Akaiwa, what began as a graduation project at the University of Toyama has turned into a unique artistic endeavor that fuses Japanese art with traditional Western musical instruments. The 26-year-old craftswoman, an employee of Yanagisawa Wind Instruments Co., has already used her urushi ...
Saxophonist Maceo Parker brings a funk legacy to Tokyo, Osaka on Japan visit
Maceo Parker will be carrying a heavy load of history on his shoulders when he visits Japan for a string of gigs this month, but you wouldn't know it from his carefree attitude. The 71-year-old musician is best known for his seminal sax work with ...
