Shun Ishiwaka (石若駿, born 1992) is a Japanese jazz drummer. He has performed alongside artists such as Hiromi Uehara, Ai…Shun Ishiwaka (石若駿, born 1992) is a Japanese jazz drummer. He has performed alongside artists such as Hiromi Uehara, Ai Kuwabara, Sakura Fujiwara, Jason Moran, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Scofield, and Chris Potter.
Erena Terakubo (寺久保エレナ, born April 3, 1992) is a Japanese jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in the…Erena Terakubo (寺久保エレナ, born April 3, 1992) is a Japanese jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in the United States. She is known for her work on alto saxophone and for performing internationally as a leader and sideman in contemporary jazz.
Yuuki Ozaki (尾崎雄貴, Ozaki Yūki; born May 27, 1991), is a Japanese musician, best known as the leading vocalist and…Yuuki Ozaki (尾崎雄貴, Ozaki Yūki; born May 27, 1991), is a Japanese musician, best known as the leading vocalist and songwriter for the bands Galileo Galilei and BBHF. He also performs under his solo project warbear. In 2014, he began releasing solo material. He announced his new band "Bird Bear Hare and Fish" (renamed BBHF in 2019) during his solo concert on January 27. He released his first full length solo album "warbear" in December 2017.
Zone (ゾーン) was an all-female rock band started in Sapporo, Japan, in 1997. It started as a dance group and turned into…Zone (ゾーン) was an all-female rock band started in Sapporo, Japan, in 1997. It started as a dance group and turned into an all-female band. Zone has been categorized in a new genre called "bandol" (a portmanteau of the words "band" and "idol"). The band was started and managed by Studio RunTime and its first single, "Good Days", was released by the major record label Sony Records, on February 7, 2001. The group officially disbanded on April 7, 2013, when the last remaining member, Maiko Sakae, held the band's final event. Zone's most famous song is "Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)", released on August 8, 2001. It sold about 744,000 copies in Japan.
Shinji Takeda (武田 真治, Takeda Shinji), born December 18, 1972, is a Japanese actor, talent, and saxophone player. He has…Shinji Takeda (武田 真治, Takeda Shinji), born December 18, 1972, is a Japanese actor, talent, and saxophone player. He has had notable roles in such works as The Incite Mill, Kyō Kara Hitman, and Tokyo Eyes.
Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage…Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage name TAKURO, is a Japanese musician and lyricist best known as one of the guitarists and leader of the rock band Glay, for which he is also the main composer and lyricist. As a musician and composer, Takuro has worked with different artists and has also released solo works. Takuro and his older sister were raised by a single mother, as she never remarried after his father's death, when Takuro was three years old. He considers his mother an early influence in his musical career, as he was strongly impressed by her singing.
Kenji Ueda (上田ケンジ Ueda Kenji, nickname ウエケン UEKEN) is a Japanese rock musician and producer. He is known for his solo…Kenji Ueda (上田ケンジ Ueda Kenji, nickname ウエケン UEKEN) is a Japanese rock musician and producer. He is known for his solo work, as well as his work with Kenzi & the Trips and the Pillows.
Takahiro Nishikawa (西川隆宏, Nishikawa Takahiro; born 26 May 1964) is a Japanese keyboardist, music producer, and…Takahiro Nishikawa (西川隆宏, Nishikawa Takahiro; born 26 May 1964) is a Japanese keyboardist, music producer, and businessman. He was a member of Dreams Come True from 1988 to 2002. While with the band, they released eleven studio albums and thirty-three singles. Nine of those albums and ten of the singles debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts. While Nishikawa was a member of the band, Dreams Come True won two The Television Drama Academy Awards for theme songs, once in 1995 and again in 1999. After he left the band, he was arrested and convicted twice for possession of illegal stimulants, once in October 2002 and again in February 2006. He opened a bar in Sapporo in 2009, where he regularly holds events themed around his former band, including after-concert parties. Nishikawa is also known by the nickname Nihya (ニーヒャ, Nīhya). His younger sister, Ayumi Nishikawa (西川歩, Nishikawa Ayumi), is a model.
Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese…Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese video game developer Hudson Soft. With them he would go on to compose several of their most famous early hits, including Star Soldier, Milon's Secret Castle, Mickey Mousecapade and Robowarrior. In recent years, he has dedicated his time to performing video game music at live venues in the Shibuya area, as well as releasing several albums containing his video game music material. Kunimoto is noted as one of the first to write accompanying lyrics to the music featured in the video games he composed for, printed in the instruction booklet supplied with the game software.
Akio Sasajima (笹島 明夫, Sasajima Akio) (born 1952) is a jazz guitarist born in Japan and currently based in Sapporo…Akio Sasajima (笹島 明夫, Sasajima Akio) (born 1952) is a jazz guitarist born in Japan and currently based in Sapporo, Japan. His playing style incorporates bebop, hard bop, and jazz fusion. He recorded several albums as a leader for Muse and Enja in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Ryo Fukui (福居良, Fukui Ryō; [ɸɯ.kɯꜜi ɾʲoː]; June 1, 1948 – March 15, 2016) was a Japanese jazz pianist based in Sapporo.…Ryo Fukui (福居良, Fukui Ryō; [ɸɯ.kɯꜜi ɾʲoː]; June 1, 1948 – March 15, 2016) was a Japanese jazz pianist based in Sapporo. He played regularly at the "Slowboat" jazz club in Sapporo, which he and his wife Yasuko owned. Fukui taught and performed internationally until his death in 2016. His work has seen a spike in popularity after his death, with several reissues of his albums.
