Kazutoki Umezu can be described as a jazz musician. However, his playing is much more than that. He has performed saxophone and clarinet in many different situations, and in over 35 countries. Eric Dolphy and Rahsaan Roland Kirt are two of his influences. But, many other influences can be heard in Umezu’s music. Umezu was born in Sendai and started studying music at an early age. He recorded his first album while still at Kunitachi Music College. He moved to New York in 1974 and began playing music with artists like Lester Bowie and Oliver Lake. He returned to Japan in 1976 and formed Seikatsu Kojou Iinakai. He also made two albums. He also continued to explore other music styles and, in 1980, he joined the well-known rock band RC Succession. He began recording in 1981 under the moniker Doctor Umezu. Eight albums were recorded under this moniker. The last one was in 1989. Umezu’s title “doctor”, suggests that he is an academic. However, he believes that rules can be broken and that freedom of thought and humor are part of what makes him so popular. Umezu was a jazz musician who played gigs and festivals all around the globe in the 1980s. He even met famous people like Tom Cora and John Zorn. He also recorded in 1988 as DIVA with three other women. He formed Shakushain in 1989 with seven other musicians. The name Shakushain is a tribute to an Ainu (indigenous Japanese hero) who recorded two albums. Other groups he was a member of included Third Person. This group also included Samm Bennett and Tom Cora. They were also members of Eclectism and First Deserter in New York, which also included Curtis Fowlkes, Wayne Horvitz, Dougie Browne and Wayne Horvitz. Umezu began to be interested in Klezmer music in the 1990s and maintained a eighteen-member group called Betsuni Nanmo Klezmer. He also recorded four albums of Klezmer songs. Although his list of bands is extensive, he has “unofficially” played with many musicians, including B.B. King, Ian Dury and Barre Phillips are among his many bands. He has also played with Don Byron and Bernard Purdie as well as Yosuke Yamashita (Jazz pianist), Yoshide Otomo (guitarist), Leonard Eto (taiko drummer) and other musicians from Okinawa and Korea. The Kiki Band is one of his current active groups. This group mixes elements from Middle Eastern, rock, and jazz music and has toured extensively throughout Africa. Umezu created an annual “Ohshigoto” event in recent years to try and bring together his various musical styles. He plays 20 consecutive days with a different lineup of musicians each day, trying to unite them. Umezu is a world-renowned reed player. He is not only a jazz master but also an excellent improvisor. He collaborates with… many types of music and dance performance. He continues to find new ways to improvise and compose. One thing that doesn’t change is his saxophone sound. It is clear, beautiful, and powerful. Sometimes he can blow fast and powerful like a demon, and sometimes he can be very funny and sometimes even melancholic. Many people hear him perform and get the Japanese soul vibe. It is rare for one musician to be able to work with different musicians and still keep his own style. Although this may seem paradoxical to most musicians, it is not in Kazutoki Umezu’s music that flexibility and consistency are mutually exclusive. Born 1949 in Sendai (prefecture of Miyagi). While still a student at Kunitachi Music College, Umezu started his professional career with his own band “SEIKATSU KOJOU IINKAI”. From 1974 to 1975, he was active in the new jazz movement that revolved around Studio We, Studio Rivbea and Ali’s Alley in New York City. He was a member of “TED DANIEL’S THIRD WORLD ENERGY ENERGY ENSEMBLE”, “SUNNY MURRAY TIO”, “THE ABORIGINAL MUSIC SOCIETY”, and had many sessions with musicians like Lester Bowie (Olu Dara), Joe Bowie, Oliver Lakes, David Murray, William Parker, Rashied Al. After his return to Japan, he formed the highly popular “SEIKATSU KOJOU IINKAI ORCHESTRA”. They released two records. They toured extensively in Europe and Japan with the “DOCTOR UZU BAND” from 1981 to 1985. They were twice featured at the Moers Jazz Festival. In 8 years, they made 8 records. He began playing regularly at the “Knitting Factory”, New York in the mid-80’s, along with other musicians such as George Lewis, Tom Cora, and John Zorn. From 1989 to 1997 Umezu was the leader of seven-member “SHAKUSHAIN”, which took its name from a legend Ainu hero. They made two CDs and toured Japan. He toured in Japan for four years consecutively as the third member “THIRDPERSON” along with Sam Bennett and Tom Cora. They released 2 CDs. He also started two other bands in NY around the same time. One was called ECLECTICISM with Marc Ribot, Curtis Fowlkes and Brad Jones. The other is “First Deserter” and features Tom Cora, Wayne Horvitz and Samm Bennett. Each of them recorded one CD. He recorded one CD with Kenny Wollesen, Brad Jones, Marc Ribot and Brad Jones in New York. In 1992, formed a klezmer group of 18 members, which was the only one in Japan. He also formed “BETSUNI KLEZMER”, a smaller klezmer and gypsy band. Recorded 3CDs of “BETSUNI NANMO KLEZMER”, 2CDs of “KOMTCHA KLEZMER” in 2005. In Russia, “KOMTCHA KLEZMER” performed in 3 cities. Ian Dury invited him to tour England in 1998 as a member.
