Japanese jazz bassist, was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1931. Born in Tokyo, 1931, he died April 8, 2011. He was also a leader in the Japanese avant-garde of the 1960s. His professional career started in the American servicemen’s club, but he met Duke Ellington and began to study music more seriously. In 1960, Kanai and Takaanagi established the Jazz Academy (later New Century Music Workshop). They performed experimental jam sessions in coffeeshops, combining their love for contemporary classical music with the jazz of Sun Ra and Charles Mingus. In the sixties and seventies, he led King’s Roar Orchestra. They toured the USSR and South America performing jazz arrangements of Japanese children’s songs. He is currently the leader of the Yokohama Jazz Orchestra. From www.jazz.com
