Originally from Kobe, Japan, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda has become a standout figure in New York’s bustling jazz scene. After an auspicious meeting with vocalist José James (who would go on to produce Blackmagic, No Beginning No End, and the 2014 Blue Note offering Rising Son), Kuroda’s prolific output quickly landed him a featured position in Akoya Afrobeat, and, thanks in no small part to his perceptiveness around hip-hop songwriting techniques, DJ Premier’s BADDER.
Takuya Kuroda’s kaleidoscope of influences continues to make itself apparent on his upcoming sixth album, Fly Moon Die Soon, harboring nine tracks that surf through the familiar sonics of Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, and The Ohio Players, as well as contemporaries like Thundercat, Robert Glasper, and Kamasi Washington. The announcement of Fly Moon Die Soon (out September 18th) came last Friday alongside its lead single and music video, featuring vocals from NYC-by-way-of-Houston songwriter Corey King, “Change”!
–Jack Anderson
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