A highly-respected trumpeter born in Kobe, Japan, Takuya Kuroda is a forward-thinking musician that has developed a unique hybrid sound, blending soulful jazz, funk, post-bop, fusion and hip hop music.
After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the Blackmagic and No Beginning No End projects.
Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier’s BADDER band.
Kuroda boasts a prolific career, releasing five albums in the past decade and fortifying a solid reputation in the global jazz scene. 2011 saw the release of his independently-produced debut album, Edge, followed by Bitter and High the following year and Six Aces on P-Vine in 2013. Kuroda was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2014 for his album Rising Son, as well as appearing on the label’s 2019 covers project, Blue Note Voyage. He released his 5th album, Zigzagger, on Concord in 2016, which also featured Antibalas on a reimagining of the Donald Byrd classic “Think Twice.”
His most recent release, Fly Moon Die Soon, was released on First World Records in September 2020.
After following the footsteps of his trombonist brother playing in big bands, he relocated to New York to study jazz & contemporary music at The New School. It was here that Takuya met vocalist José James, with whom he worked on the Blackmagic and No Beginning No End projects.
Following graduation, Takuya established himself further in the NYC jazz scene, performing with the likes of Akoya Afrobeat and in recent years with DJ Premier’s BADDER band.
Kuroda boasts a prolific career, releasing five albums in the past decade and fortifying a solid reputation in the global jazz scene. 2011 saw the release of his independently-produced debut album, Edge, followed by Bitter and High the following year and Six Aces on P-Vine in 2013. Kuroda was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2014 for his album Rising Son, as well as appearing on the label’s 2019 covers project, Blue Note Voyage. He released his 5th album, Zigzagger, on Concord in 2016, which also featured Antibalas on a reimagining of the Donald Byrd classic “Think Twice.”
His most recent release, Fly Moon Die Soon, was released on First World Records in September 2020.
