[Selected by the pros!] 10 great bassists from the jazz fusion world

Born in Nagoya in 1971. Based in Kyoto. Started playing guitar in junior high, then switched to bass upon entering high school, influenced by the eclectic mix of old and new music in the mid-1980s. Moved to Kyoto when entering university. Joined Doshisha University’s The Third Herd Orchestra in 1992 and received the TBS Radio Award at the Yamano Big Band Contest the same year. Self-taught in fundamentals, he began his professional career as a musician in the mid-1990s. His playing spans a wide range of genres—rock, jazz, funk, crossover, modern gospel, Brazilian pop, and African rock. As a member of the original jazz band Vermilion Field, he released the third album Feira on Victor in 2015. As a member of SAKAKI MANGO & LIMBA TRAIN SOUND SYSTEM, which develops its own sound rooted in African music, he performed at Bush Fire, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest festival held in Eswatini (then Swaziland) in 2012. He is active across various scenes: serving as a regular support member for Everlasting Joy, one of the Kansai region’s leading gospel choirs, supporting many other gospel choirs, leading his own band Play Ground, and supporting vocalists and sessions. As a composer, he wrote Taiyo no Ki (Tree of the Sun), the official anthem of the Sumida Street Jazz Festival. In addition, Amateur Night in Kyoto, which he organizes in Kyoto, has surpassed 30 installments, and he has long been committed to mentoring younger musicians. He has performed with many renowned artists, including Narada Michael Walden, Masahiro Kuwana, and Fusahiro Kondo, and continues to support the Kansai music scene from the low end.