Kazumi Ikenaga

Born and raised in Kyoto in Japan, drummer Kazumi Ikenaga (b.1961) began playing drums at the age of 13 and had turned professional by the time he reached 19. In 1992 he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and wound up making USA his home for the next five years, playing with local musicians in Boston and New York. He has played in virtually all styles, but his heat beats for modern jazz. Though per- forming in many parts of the world, he now resides in Tokyo and plays with top Japanese jazz musicians as well as visiting Americans such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Seamus Blake and Chris Cheek.