Takuya Kuroda

The Japanese trumpeter and producer Takuya Kuroda is the closest thing we have to a Dizzy Gillespie of our time. The fusion of styles and elegance are two of his indispensable hallmarks. The Kobe musician starts with jazz, of course, but his silky and distinguished formula has always been characterized by molding soul, funk, afrobeat, and some other spices into a single discourse.

Seasoned in the New York scene, having collaborated with José James, Akoya Afrobeat, or Badder (DJ Premier's band) and being part of record labels with such pedigree as Concord or Blue Note, the Japanese artist returns to Piñata Music Series after a streak of sensational works: the beautiful Fly Moon Die Soon (2020) which, in his own words, deals with "the paradox between the greatness of nature and the beautiful obscenity of the human being", Midnight Crisp (2022), a fantastic amalgam of jazz, soul, funk, post-bop, fusion, and hip hop, and Koo Voo (2023), an album in collaboration with Voo a.k.a. Marihito Ayabe (Chimp Beams, Loop Diary) with which he culminated over eleven years of work, also transcending genres.