A highly-respected trumpeter born in Kobe, Japan, Takuya Kuroda is a forward-thinking musician that has developed a unique hybrid sound, blending soulful jazz, funk, post-bop, fusion and hip hop music.
After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School in Union Square; a course he graduated from in the midnoughties. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the ‘Blackmagic’ and ‘No Beginning No End’ projects.
Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier’s BADDER band (also including acclaimed bass player, Brady Watt). Premier said “The BADDER Band project was put together by my manager, and an agent I’ve known since the beginning of my Gang Starr career. He said, ‘What if you put a band together that revolved around a trumpet player from Japan named Takuya Kuroda? He’s got a hip-hop perspective and respect in the jazz field…”
Kuroda is not only an incredibly gifted trumpeter, but his ability to combine the classic hard-bop jazz sounds of Lee Morgan and Art Blakey with the fusion feel of Herbie Hancock, for example, and then add a contemporary hip-hop flavor to it, is his second and perhaps greatest talent. This can be heard on his seventh studio album Midnight Crisp (2022). On six tracks, Kuroda shows how to weave many different jazz and funk subgenres with progressive beats.
Takuya Kuroda
Sunday, 19.11.2023 | Doors 19:30 | Starts 20:30 CET
Gretchen | Obentrautstrasse 19 -21 in 10963 Berlin
gretchen-club.de | Event @ Facebook | Tickets
