Yuna Shishido (宍戸佑名, Shishido Yūna; born June 23, 1985), known as a solo artist by the stage name Kavka Shishido…Yuna Shishido (宍戸佑名, Shishido Yūna; born June 23, 1985), known as a solo artist by the stage name Kavka Shishido (シシド・カフカ, Shishido Kafuka; stylized in Japan as SHISHIDO KAVKA) is a Mexican-born Japanese drummer and vocalist. Originally a member of the rock band The News, she debuted as a solo musician in 2012 and released her debut album Kavkanize in 2013. She prominently plays the drums in all of her promotions. Shishido was given the name "Kavka" for her stage name by copy editor Junpei Watanabe. Shishido always wore black, reminiscent of a crow. The Czech word kavka refers to the daurian jackdaw.
Nobuaki Kaneko (金子 ノブアキ, 金子 信昭, Kaneko Nobuaki; born 5 June 1981) is a Japanese drummer and actor. He is nicknamed…Nobuaki Kaneko (金子 ノブアキ, 金子 信昭, Kaneko Nobuaki; born 5 June 1981) is a Japanese drummer and actor. He is nicknamed Akkun (あっくん) and N.K. He is a member of the rock band Rize. He is represented with Itoh Company and his label is Illchill. He graduated from Horikoshi High School. Kaneko's father was Johnny Yoshinaga who was also a drummer, and his mother is singer Mari Kaneko. His younger brother is Kensuke Kaneko (known as KenKen) who is the bassist of Rize, and the brothers formed a rhythm section. In November 2013, Kaneko married a non-celebrity woman who is a former model.
Akira Jimbo, also transliterated as Akira Jinbo (神保 彰, Jinbo Akira; born February 27, 1959), is a Japanese jazz fusion…Akira Jimbo, also transliterated as Akira Jinbo (神保 彰, Jinbo Akira; born February 27, 1959), is a Japanese jazz fusion drummer, best known as the drummer for the Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopea in 3 separate stints (1980-1989, 1997-2006 and 2012-2022). Aside from his work with Casiopea, Jimbo has also participated in side projects with Keiko Matsui, Shambara, and Brian Bromberg.
Motonari Takano (Japanese: 高野 元成, Hepburn: Takano Motonari; January 12, 1951 - April 1, 2006), better known as Ai…Motonari Takano (Japanese: 高野 元成, Hepburn: Takano Motonari; January 12, 1951 - April 1, 2006), better known as Ai Takano (アイ高野, Ai Takano) and nicknamed Motchin, was a Japanese singer. He is best known for his performances of the theme songs for the anime Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger, Pettonton, and Kyojuu Tokusou Juspion. Takano also sung the songs in Ai Shite Knight for the fictional in-story band, Bee Hive, even though the singer character, Gou, is voiced by singer Isao Sasaki. Before starting his anisong career, Takano was drummer of The Golden Cups and a vocalist of Creation.
Hideo Shiraki (白木秀雄; 1 January 1933 in Tokyo – 31 August 1972) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, best known…Hideo Shiraki (白木秀雄; 1 January 1933 in Tokyo – 31 August 1972) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader, best known for his work in the 1950s and 1960s. Famed earlier on for hard bop, he later explored world music and became a pioneer of fusing traditional music forms with jazz structuring. He emerged in the new Japanese jazz scene of the 1950s that grew out of the influence of the US occupying forces. He studied percussion at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and, during this period, played with Masashi Nagao's Blue Coats. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, his quintet was popular in Japan and was associated with the "funky boom" craze for hard bop. Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, Terumasa Hino and Yuzuru Sera all passed through his quintet. Notable albums include 1961's In Fiesta (Teichiku Japan), which included a version of Benny Golson's "Five Spot After Dark". Performers on the album included Hidehiko Matsumoto on tenor and flute and Yuzuru Sera on piano. 1965's Sakura Sakura united the quintet (including Terumasa Hino on trumpet) with three female koto players as Shiraki moved into a world jazz approach. An invited November 1965 performance at the Berlin Jazz Festival, organised by Joachim-Ernst Berendt, saw the quintet work with a koto quartet and was feted for mixing jazz with traditional Japanese music. He also played with Toshiko Akiyoshi, including two tracks on her 1961 album Toshiko Meets Her Old Pals. On July 22, 1966, he played with the John Coltrane quintet in Tokyo while the group was touring Japan.
Hajime Hana (Japanese: ハナ肇, Hepburn: Hana Hajime; February 9, 1930 – September 10, 1993) was a Japanese actor. He was…Hajime Hana (Japanese: ハナ肇, Hepburn: Hana Hajime; February 9, 1930 – September 10, 1993) was a Japanese actor. He was the leader of the comic jazz band The Crazy Cats, which featured such talent as Hitoshi Ueki and Kei Tani, and which starred in a series of film comedies (such as the "Irresponsible" (Musekinin) series at Toho) and in TV variety shows such as "Shabondama Holiday." He won the award for best actor at the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards for Kaisha monogatari: Memories of You.