Takuya Kuroda - Bitter And High (2010)

With his brilliant tone and soulful, passionate delivery, it’s no wonder that young Japanese trumpeter Takuya Kuroda continues to thrive in New York City, the world’s most competitive arena for live performance. Originally from Kobe, Takuya came to the U.S. in 2003 to study at the New School Jazz and Contemporary Music Program. Since arriving to New York, he has become a fixture on the working musician scene, performing alongside living legends (Junior Mance, Terumasa Hino), acknowledged masters (Greg Tardy, Francisco Mela, Pino Palladino) and the rising stars of his generation (Jose James, Ben Williams, Kris Bowers, Jamire Williams). Takuya can be seen and heard performing at music festivals worldwide (Java Jazz, Rio Das Ostras, River to River, Vitoria Jazz) and at some of the most important venues for live performance in the country (The Blue Note, The Jazz Standard, Radio City Music Hall, The Village Underground).

As a recording artist, Takuya can be heard most recently on Jose Jame’s “Blackmagic”, and Jiro Yoshia’s “Made in New York” and “Cut Back”.

Takuya has released two albums as a leader, “Bitter and High”(2010) and “Edge”(2011), both to critical acclaim. “Bitter and High” was selected by Jazz Hihyou Magazine for their article “The Top 6 Best Albums of The Year of 2010” and by Jazzweek.com for “The Top 50 Jazz Albums of 2010”. Since its release, “Edge” has ranked as high as #3 in the national airplay charts for jazz radio programming, a featured album on radio shows across the U.S.

In addition to his own projects, Takuya performs as a member of Jose Jame’s band, Akoya Afrobeat, the MK Groove Orchestra, Chicken Gravy, and Main Space.