Kengo Nakamura
(Bassist/Composer)Biography
Kengo was born in Osaka, Japan. He learned the classical guitar at the early age of twelve. He switched to the electric bass when he became seventeen years old. In 1988, he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and he took lessons from Mr. Whit Browne.The acoustic sounds inspired Kengo then he began taking the acoustic bass seriously at that time. Later, he played at Wallyﾕs Jazz club with young lions including Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart and Anthony Wonsey. In 1991, he was awarded the John Neves Memorial scholarship in recognition of outstanding musicianship from Berklee College of Music.
In 1991, he moved to New York City to begin his professional career as a musician. Soon there after, his glowing reputation preceded him and was in great demand from some of New York Jazz musicﾕs leading lights. He first recording session was in 1994, where he recorded the album ﾒIn the Movieﾓ with Roy Hargrove, Jesse Davis and David Sanchez. This project was a Japanese and American collaboration called ﾒThe Jazz Networksﾓ.
His first performance with Lincoln center Jazz for young people concert series, directed by Wynton Marsalis was in 1996. In 1997, he performed at President summit as a member of Wynton Marsalis Quartet. Since March 1998 through January of 2000, he had been performing in the Cyrus Chestnut Trio.
In October 2000, he began the recording sessions for his debut album, produced by Makoto Ozone. The album was finished and released in February of 2001 and called ﾒDivineﾓ under the Verve/ Universal music label.
Since the release of ﾒDivineﾓ, he has been chosen three years consecutively from the readerﾕs poll of the Swing Journal magazine as the number one Japanese Jazz bass player. As a composer/arranger, Swing Journal magazines readerﾕs poll has chosen him in the top ten.
Discography
CD
Say Hello to Say Goodbye (Verve/Universal Music) Kengo Nakamura
Divine (Verve/Universal Music) Kengo Nakamura
Home for Holidays (Centaur Entertainment) various artist
Klassics (Tokuma Japan Communications) Mal Waldron
Happy to Swing (BMG Fun House) Yutaka Shiina
Burninﾕ Four Nights (King Records) Tetsuro Kawashima
In the Movies (BMG Fun House) The Jazz Networks
Gentle Rose (Whatﾕs New Records) Michio Imazato
Blues for Ragged Lion (Reuvane) Bob FeldmanPerformance
Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson Quartet (Present)
Wynton Marsalis Septet (East Coast Tour, Fall 2001)
Makoto Ozone (Japan Tour, March 2001)
Cyrus Chestnut Trio (March 1998 through January 2000)
Sadao Watanabe (Japan Tour, April 2000)
Benny Golson (Europe tour, 1999)
Antonio Hart (Blue Note Tokyo, October1999)
Mal Waldron (Japan Tour, 1999)
