Profile

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  Wynton Marsalis（Trumpet)

  Wynton Marsalis was born in 1961 to a musical family in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was Ellis Marsalis Jr., an extremely renowned pianist in the area and a music teacher who taught jazz at the same time.
  
  His older brother Branford Marsalis was also a jazz musician and an American saxophonist. Wynton was invited to perform with the legend Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers after he entered Juilliard. At age 19, he made his first recording as a leader — “Wynton Marsalis Quintet” — and has released nearly 80 albums since then including classical ones. The genius is also the winner of multiple Grammy Awards.
  
  In 1996, Marsalis became the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Since then he’s been engaged in numerous various and vivid activities to make jazz — the greatest musical gifts of the United States in the 20th century — to spread and thrive. Without doubt, the jazz star is currently the best and most preeminent jazz bandleader in the United States.

• March 23rd Shinjuku Bunka Center Special Guest

  

  Pianist Makoto Ozone

  Makoto Ozone made his worldwide debut after graduating with honors from Berklee College of Music and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003. In addition to performing at the forefront of jazz with world-class musicians and his own big band, No Name Horses, he is also highly regarded in classical music, having performed with orchestras in Japan and overseas. In 2021, he celebrated his 60th birthday with successfully completing the OZONE60 project in all 47 prefectures across Japan. Currently, he is also focusing on "From OZONE till Dawn," a project to help emerging young musicians.

  Makoto Ozone Official Site >
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  Bassist Kengo Nakamura

  After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1991, he moved to New York City and toured as a member of the Cyrus Chesnut Trio and the Wynton Marsalis Septet. He also participated in the Grammy-nominated "Live at House of Tribes" album by Wynton Marsalis. He is one of Japan's leading Bassists, playing at the forefront of the jazz world with many top musicians.

  Kengo Nakamura Official Site >