Aug. 23rd
Jeff Kashiwa

Many smooth jazz fans were taken by surprise in early 1999, when Jeff Kashiwa left the Rippingtons after ten years to devote more time to develop his career as a solo artist, but in truth, the popular saxophonist has always had his eye on striking out on his own. Before joining the Ripps in 1989, he led various ensembles at clubs throughout Orange County, California, and he spent much of his down time from the Ripps' hectic touring and recording schedule leading his own band, Coastal Access. His two previous solo albums, "Remember Catalina" (1995) and "Walk a Mile" (1997) were critically and commercially acclaimed and laid a perfect foundation for his Native Language debut, "Another Door Opens", in many ways his first major entry into the smooth jazz marketplace.

One of the most diverse, in demand sax players in all of contemporary jazz, Jeff Kashiwa finds pure joy at the heart of his increasingly fast-paced touring schedule by reminding himself, every time he gets on stage, that he’s there to do one thing: Play!

Over the last few years, he’s been doing just that to the tune of almost 100 performances annually, bringing his trademark exuberance to gigs with his longtime band Coastal Access, shows across the country with The Sax Pack (featuring fellow genre A-listers Steve Cole & Kim Waters), dates in the U.S. and England with Acoustic Alchemy and others with Chuck Loeb. Last year, he also reunited with The Rippingtons whom he originally recorded and toured with from 1990-99 for the group’s 20th Anniversary Tour; he will be joining his former band for many dates this summer as well.

Visit the Jeff Kashiwa website www.jeffkashiwa.com