Kengo Nakamura

There are only a select few Japanese jazz musicians who have played in front of the President of the United States, and Kengo Nakamura is one of them. After leaving Japan to study electric bass in Boston's esteemed Berklee College of Music, he became one of the most successful and in-demand bassists in New York City. His steady swing and innovative style caught the ears of Wynton Marsalis, notorious for his listening ability and high standards, who invited him to join his septet.

Though Nakamura has reached the pinnacle of the jazz world, playing in New York with some of the best groups, he was remarkably down to earth, lively and very funny during the interview. He talked with Jazznin in the office of 55 Records, the company releasing his latest CD, "Roots." Speaking in fluent English, spiced with plenty of jazz lingo, he spoke about his work in the jazz life.

So, was Berklee a good experience for you?

Yes, indeed, very good. When I went there, I was just starting in jazz, and knew only two songs, "A Train" and "Satin Doll." At the beginning I was playing electric bass, but I switched to acoustic after I heard Charles Mingus' music. That was like, "Pow!" my soul opened up and I knew that's what I wanted to play. Also, my teacher, Rick Brown, a great teacher, said Mingus was really the true sound of the bass. So, I tried to play like that and started practicing acoustic bass. I had to start practicing all the scales. The strings are fatter, and there are no frets, so I really had to start all over again. Every day I went to the practice room. Finally, some guys knocked on the practice room door, and said they needed a bass player. I said, OK, and I brought my "Real Book" because I didn't really have a song memory yet. I didn't play very well, so I got a very cold vibe from these guys. They needed a player was already right there. That was a good experience, and competition was strong, so I practiced more, every day. Berklee is a great place to meet great musicians and great teachers from all over the world. I stayed three years in Boston, and then moved to New York in fall 91.

How was New York?

It was the real world. I had to first of all find a job. Some few great players like Antonio Hart or Roy Hargrove, my classmates, could find jobs because they were ready. But I wasn't ready. If you study law at Harvard, then when you graduate you can practice law, but music students need more time. You have to be aggressive, and you have to make connections. I went to lots of jam sessions, at places along Bleecker Street, mostly during the day, at the Village Gate, and others held by the New School. I was always checking out the good music, like at Bradley's. Then, I had to introduce myself. I went through tons of cards. Finally, things started to move, but it was really slow and really hard.

Was it harder because you were Japanese?

That's a good question. I don’t think there's really any borderline in that sense in America. But, you have to be a good swing player, no matter what. You know, if you can swing, then that's what people want. I liked that.

How did you get hooked up with Wynton Marsalis?

At a jam session, I got a chance to play with him. I was lucky he could hear my sound. We played together, and time went by and my phone was just not ringing. Finally, though, I had the great opportunity to join him.

He has a reputation for being perfectionist.

Yes, indeed. Mostly, he requires swing. If you don't swing, then he doesn't like it. The first time I had a chance to play with Wynton, Cyrus Chestnut came up to me and said, "This is a rare occasion, and may be the only chance to play with him, so swing." Actually, he's very easy to work with. He is very organized and has everything set up. His suggestions are great. Once, I sat in with the Lincoln Center Orchestra at Avery Fisher Hall and different places, and if Wynton made even small suggestions, it made a huge difference.

Sometimes, Wynton is criticized as being too traditional, what do you think about that?

First of all, I like to keep things traditional, but now it is 2005, so I also like to keep things new. I want to put in everything really. Jazz always reflects lots of history, the time, and the era. Like in the 60s, there was a lot of black protest music, and you could hear that in Coltrane and Mingus, that sense of protest, and anger, and with lots of drugs happening then, too. You could get the sense of freedom from that time. Then, in the 80s and 90s, and now, I guess, we have a sense of chaos. (Laughs). But we also have healing. So, I'd like my music to represent the acoustic sound of jazz, but also represent healing.

On your CD, you have a lot of swing of course, but a warm feeling with the other players.

I played with Wes Warmdaddy Anderson, and we played all over, touring around. I knew Marcus Printup for years, so we are like brothers. When you go into the recording studio, sometimes, you have no choice, especially if the producer is famous. You get all uptight and can't relax. I wanted to make the sound more comfortable. I have known all of them well for a long time. I wanted to really play with these musicians, not have someone else decide who to play with and how.

Some CDs come out sounding like the players weren't even in the same room.

Yeah, I know. This was a great opportunity, because I could be the producer and organize everything. Mr. Itsuno became the executive producer and he said, "OK, you do it." Some producers pick the musicians and tell you how to play with them. As the leader, and as a bass player, I could do anything. I could play solo or in a duo with Makoto Ozone. That's a great vibe. Then I could do the trio on the tango tune, and a quintet with horns. As a leader, I mixed the variety of settings. It's more my work that way. I like that.

Are these old tunes or new tunes?

These are all new. I started composing with my first CD, "Divine." That's only three or four years ago. I'm not like a real composer, because a real composer is like a real artist, you have to write every day. When I compose, I am always waiting for something to come up. But I always have an image of who I'm going to play with. For the blues, I was thinking of Wes, and he said to me, "Blues? OK, write me something in the key of E flat, A flat or D flat." I picked D Flat, and came up with the melody first. Usually I come up with the melody on the piano, and then fit the bass line to it, and finally the inner harmony. I respect how everything goes, but the melody comes first.

As a bass player, how do you find how far front or how far back in the sound to play?

In the quintet, I'll be a bass player. I like to hold the bottom. You don't need to play melody with them. But, I would like to represent my music to the people, so soloing is nice because melodies represent the inner space of mind. I like to keep the bottom, but also keep the melody. On some bass players' CD, you hear bass, bass, bass and even the melody is bass. But for me, I like to think of the whole entire album as one set of music, so I want to accompany at times, too. Mingus represents his music as a total composition based on his concept and his energy, but he also accompanies the other musicians.

How often do you come back to Japan?

Last year, I came back six times, this year, three times, and next year, maybe I'll be staying here longer. I'll be coming back for the tour in April. Before my tour, I have a tour with Kimiko Itoh, whose latest CD Makoto Ozone produced. I'd like to still keep this kind of traffic. I like to go back and forth. I get a lot of energy from both places.

Does it feel different playing here and in the States?

Sometimes, people are quiet here in Japan, especially in a concert space, but once we are connected, that’s not the case. In fact, every place, once you connect, it's the same. In Italy, Japan, New York, wherever, once you get into the spirit and the soul of the music, then everyone likes a good time. Japanese jazz fans are very friendly. Once I get off the stage, I'm just a regular guy, you know, I’m just a bass player. There are no special things. New York audiences are great.

And you played for the president, too?

Yes, it was a huge crowd. We went with Wynton to the President's Summit. Clinton was there. It was nice, to play with Wynton, and they were all there listening.

So, you played in front of the president?

Yeah, it was very cool.

I don't think the new president is interested in jazz.

No, I think he likes more like country and western music.

How do you get young people interested in jazz?

Wynton opened up a new Lincoln Center building, and we need that kind of thing to keep jazz active. Now, there is no chance to hear jazz easily. There is no TV program, and only one radio station. It's so commercialized, too. You hear "jazzy" music in commercials, but that's not really jazz. They have to listen more, but we have to play more. Some jazz education departments are going to schools and doing that kind of thing. In New York, we went to public schools all over New York. It was NINE o'clock in the morning, so we had to get up at like six, and everybody had a headache. But it was so fun. Kids loved it. When they get to be teenagers, they start to listen to hip-hop or rock, so we have to get to kids before then.

Most people don't know about jazz really at all these days.

As a jazz player, we have to write some music that is not so complicated, like in the past. The idea that you have to study jazz, you can't just listen, is OK, but that's just one idea. Jazz started in New Orleans and became very brainy music. That's good, but we also need more mainstream music that people can enjoy. I'm still trying to get a lot more information from jazz. Some people are stuck in jazz from the 50s. They sound like Mingus or they sound like Parker. In New York, that's no good. People don't want that. It's OK to keep the history of jazz, but we need to listen to a variety of music, classical and whatever, and then play that to listeners. That's what I'm trying to do.

(Originally published in Jazznin, February 2005)