Jeff Kashiwa

Smooth Jazz领域拥有着很多出色的多人音乐团体, 比如Fourplay, Urban Knights以及The Rippingtons, 其中前面两个分别是由已经非常出名的爵士乐手固定和不固定所组成的团体, 而The Rippingtons正好是相反, 从这个团体成立开始, 就成为了培养新人的基地工厂, 而曾经或现役的乐团成员都是从The Rippingtons为起点已经成为了能够独当一面的优秀乐手, 就连创建人Russ Freeman也是顺着这根竿子爬上来的, 乐团现役SAX手是Paul Taylor, 这位年轻黑人乐手已经成为了Smooth Jazz界顶尖的高音SAX手了, 而他的前任, 拥有一张黄色的皮肤和一个日本的姓氏的Jeff Kashiwa, 依靠着自己的不懈努力以及乐团给他带来的声誉也已经成为了一面Smooth Jazz特有的亚裔旗帜了.
虽然肤色不同, 但Jeff Kashiwa的从艺道路和那些西方音乐家并没有太多的不同,从小学习SAX的演奏, 然后依靠亚洲人特有的勤奋进入伯克利音乐学院, 而这些美国顶级学院派的爵士乐手们来从事Smooth Jazz的演奏都应该在技术上是游刃有余的. 而在进入The Rippingtons以后的Jeff Kashiwa也越来越得到美国乐迷的认可和喜爱,而且他还因此广交朋友,到后来就算是在个人发行的专辑里面都能够得到一大批优秀的乐手参与录音制作.
by Matt Collar & Jonathan Widran
One of the most successful smooth jazz saxophonists, Jeff Kashiwa made his name as a member of the popular group the Rippingtons. Starting out on the clarinet at age ten, it would be two years before the Seattle-born musician switched to saxophone. Influenced early on by such smooth jazz progenitors as Chuck Mangione and Spyro Gyra, Kashiwa eventually moved to Boston to attend Berklee College and developed an interest in straight-ahead jazz -- a skill that often colors his live performances. His hard work paid off when he landed the second alto chair in Disney's All American College Band. Kashiwa found he liked Southern California and transferred to Cal State Long Beach to work on his Bachelors of Music. During this time he toured with the ska/reggae group the Untouchables performing on MTV's first Spring Break. Later, while working at a grocery store by day and playing at night, Kashiwa hired bassist Steve Bailey -- then with the Rippingtons -- to play on a gig. Bailey introduced Kashiwa to the Rippingtons' pianist and leader Russ Freeman who hired Kashiwa in 1989 when the group's original saxophonist, Brandon Fields, left the group. It was during this time with the Rippingtons that Kashiwa recorded two solo albums, Remember Catalina in 1995 and Walkamile in 1997. Then, in 1999, he left the Rippingtons to concentrate more energy on his own band, Coastal Access. Kashiwa's solo career has been in joyfully frenetic overdrive since the incredible success of "Hyde Park (The Aah, Ooh Song)," a number one hit on the Radio & Records airplay chart for over eight weeks in 2000. His Native Language debut Another Door Opens and its more acoustic oriented 2002 follow-up Simple Truth established him as one of smooth jazz's most dominant saxophone voices, and he's consistently performed 60-80 shows annually with Coastal Access in addition to heavy gigging with artists like Joyce Cooling, Chieli Minucci and Acoustic Alchemy, frequent collaborator and co-producer Chuck Loeb, and for several years as part of the the Sax Pack, touring with Steve Cole and Kim Waters. In 2006, he reunited with the Rippingtons for the group's 20th Anniversary Tour and appeared as a guest on the band's 20th Anniversary release. In the summer of 2007, he was featured on more live dates with the Rippingtons and released his fourth Native Language disc Play.