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Keita Ogawa
He started his music career on drum set at the age of 15.
After performing regularly in Tokyo for several years, Keita decided to pursue his musical studies overseas. He was accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in fall of 2005 where he studied with legendary musicians and educators Manuel “Egui” Castrillo, Jamey Haddad, Tito De Gracia, David Rosado, and Mark Walker. Seeking full immersion into the world of Brazilian percussion, Keita relocated to Rio de Janeiro for 3 months and studied with the some of the country’s most respected musicians- Jorginho do Pandeiro, Celsinho Silva, Kiko Freitas, and Marcio Bahia among others.
Since his arrival in America, Keita has worked with some of the biggest names in modern music including Yo-yo-ma, Assad Brothers, Charlie Hunter, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Le Nubians, Romero Lubambo, Clarice Assad, Jaques Morelenbaum, Osvaldo Golijov, Eric Harland, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and more.
He also played and composed music called “Starting Five” with “J-Squad” (New York based 5 Japanese Jazz Musicians) for one of big National Japanese News TV Program called “Hōdō Station” since April 2016.
Currently he works several projects like, Snarky puppy, J-Squad, Banda Magda, Bokantè, Camila Meza and the Nectar Orchestra, Clarice Assad and more.
Also He is endorsed by Canopus Drum, Meinl Percussion, Sabian Cymbal, Vic Firth, Evans Drum Head, Cooperman Company, Dem Sticks, Parka Percussion and Decora 43.
Keita can virtually play any percussion instrument and musical style with fluency and unparalleled musicality. Despite his youth, he has set an example for the next generation of world-class musicians. Keita’s passion for crossing musical borders and uniting differences in cultures is a rare talent which he exhibits with a smile and an open heart.
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Jamie Baum Septet+: What Times Are These
by Katchie Cartwright
Reading Marge Piercy's poem To Be of Use" (track two onWhat Times Are These), Jamie Baum could be speaking of herself, one of those who jump into work head first without dallying in the shadows, who swim off with sure strokes," knowing that the thing worth doing has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident." What Times Are These is a satisfying form of this sort. Confined to her New York apartment during the Covid-19 lockdown, Baum responded ...
read moreBrock, Lanzetti, Ogawa: Drawing Songs
by Mike Jacobs
Encountering new additions to the Snarky Puppy musical diaspora is always interesting. Some members' solo efforts are more direct stylistic offshoots of the mother band while others branch out in very different directions, but it is a safe bet that they will showcase the musicianship which got them into the burgeoning collective in the first place. Drawing Songs, by long-time SP bandmates Zach Brock, Bob Lanzetti and Keita Ogawa, is one of these which is a refreshing musical ...
read moreDavid Lopato: Short Stories
by Jack Bowers
Short Stories, pianist and composer David Lopato's seventh album, is for the most part modern in the best sense of the word. Lopato's musical influences are wide, ranging from jazz, blues and rock to avant-garde and free improvisation while embracing themes from Africa, Latin America and Asia--most notably Indonesia where he spent a year on a Fulbright scholarship learning to play the Javanese gamelan. Even when fusing these diverse bonds into a single vision, however, Lopato seldom strays from the ...
read moreBokante: History
by Chris May
Snarky Puppy leader Michael League does not like the band being called a jazz ensemble. He describes it as a a pop band that improvises a lot, without vocals." But anyone listening to jazz through the aural equivalent of a wide-angle lens would likely keep Snarky Puppy in the picture. League's spin-off group Bokante improvises little and has vocals front and centre. The connection with jazz is more tenuous. Bokante could be called a world music" group ...
read moreJussi Reijonen: Three Seconds | Kolme Toista
by Neri Pollastri
Disco tanto sorprendente, quanto interessante, questo Three Seconds | Kolme Toista è la narrazione musicale di un vero e proprio viaggio interiore fatto dal suo autore, il chitarrista Jussi Reijonen. Nato a Rovaniemi, nel nord della Finlandia, Reijonen è però cresciuto prima ad Amman (Giordania), poi a Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Muscat (Oman) e Beirut (Libano), per approdare da adulto negli Stati Uniti, a Boston e infine a New York, dove nel 2011 ha pubblicato il suo primo, ...
read moreJussi Reijonen: Three Seconds | Kolme Toista
by Karl Ackermann
East/West jazz fusion has a long presence on the U.S. jazz scene and that foothold has been growing in the 2000s. Composer/guitarist/oud player Jussi Reijonen is uniquely qualified to bridge musical cultures. Nordic by birth, he has lived in the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S., absorbing native music at each stop. Reijonen's solo debut, Un (Self Produced, 2012), paved the way for Three Seconds | Kolme Toista. The acclaimed debut album incorporated global influences but in a melodic haze. ...
read moreSnarky Puppy: Empire Central
by Angelo Leonardi
A diciotto anni dalla nascita, gli Snarky Puppy sono tornati a Dallas luogo d'origine della formazione per registrare un nuovo album scegliendo l'approccio preferito: quel live in the studio" con pubblico in sala che ha caratterizzato le loro opere migliori. Quindi otto notti alla Deep Ellum Art Company per mettere a punto 16 nuovi brani, ora pubblicati in doppio album, in triplo vinile. Il disco privilegia il ritorno ai valori musicali originari: una fusion ...
read moreRintaro Mikami
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The Veil
From: Three Seconds | Kolme ToistaBy Keita Ogawa
Resilience
From: ResilienceBy Keita Ogawa