17th Sister City Jazz Day with Masae Nagashima Coming to Jazz Alley on September 19th
The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, along with the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association, the Kobe Trade Information Office and Shinkaichi Music Street, are pleased to present Kobe, Japan’s 2016 Vocal Queen, Masae Nagashima, for one night only on September 19th. Band members supporting Ms. Nagashima are Bill Anschell (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass), and Greg Williamson (drums).
Masae Nagashima started playing piano at the age of three. Listening to her elder sister taking piano lessons, Masae quickly picked up perfect pitch. She memorized every piece of music she overheard and copied them with keyboards and sang along. Playing music and singing was her favorite playtime activity. Her first jazz contact was when she was an elementary school child. She was fascinated by the charm of jazz while listening to a tune that was playing during a TV animation show.
At the age of thirteen, she started playing alto saxophone. She took classic sax lessons during high school and studied at the Osaka College of Music. After graduation, she studied jazz theory and performance, then started playing sax with big bands and combos around Kobe and Osaka. After a couple of years, she was encouraged to sing and play her sax during concerts. Soon her unique style was approved at many jazz scenes. Now Masae is reaching more jazz fans in the Kansai area with her pure and soulful performances.
“Performing abroad has been one of my dreams since I was a child. I am so happy and honored to have such a wonderful opportunity to come to Seattle. I always tried to send my heartfelt feelings to the audience with my voice and musical instruments. I hope my performance at Jazz Alley will be a memorable experience for me and Seattleites.” – Masae Nagashima
The show starts at 7:30 P.M., with doors opening at 6:00 P.M. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Admission supports the Seattle Kobe Female Jazz Vocalist Audition as well as this event. Tickets and more information about the show can be found via jazzalley.com.
