Keisuke Kishi

Keisuke Kishi is a drummer and composer currently based in Hawaii, California, and New York. He was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1988 and began learning drums at the age of seven. At 20, he discovered jazz and was influenced by Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, and Art Blakey. He studied under Rikiya Higashihara, one of Japan’s leading professional drummers, and participated in various jam sessions. In 2009, he began his professional career in Osaka, and in 2012, he formed his own band, 3BAKU Trio. The band performed across the Kansai region at venues such as Mister Kelly's, Royal Horse, and Tower Records Japan. As a solo performer, he also played at Billboard Osaka and participated annually in the Takatsuki Jazz Festival.
 

Keisuke’s performances have taken him around the world. In 2016, he learned traditional Gogo music from Julius Zawose, the son of legendary Gogo musician Hukwe Zawose, and performed with the Zawose family’s original instruments, Ngoma drums and Ilimba. In 2021, he collaborated with Hukwe Zawose’s son, Msafiri Zawose, on Ilimba for his album Elsewhere.
 

Since 2017, Keisuke has expanded his work beyond performance, taking on roles as a director, organizer, and composer. Currently, he performs as part of the duo band drizzle with pianist Jun Sugiura while also composing and performing across genres such as jazz, electronic, and alternative music in the U.S. He has collaborated with legendary musicians such as Gerry Eastman, Carlton Holmes, Roy Campbell, Baba Andrew Lamb, Hilliard Greene, Ko Shimizu, Mitsuhiro Furuya, Nori Naraoka, and Seizo Shibayama. Additionally, he organizes his own live events and teaches drumming to students.
 

In March 2021, Keisuke released his first album, Elsewhere, recorded in New York with Ben Paterson, Rod Williams, Nori Naraoka, Jun Sugiura, Msafiri Zawose, Masaharu Shimizu, Calvin Johnson, and Eishin Nose.

On February 15, 2024, he released his second album, Midpoint Cafe, inspired by a road trip through Texas, Arizona, and Utah. The album features Nori Naraoka, Andrew McGowan, Calvin Johnson, and Jun Sugiura.

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