Seattle native, Jeff Kashiwa became known as one of the most compelling saxophonists in contemporary jazz during his first year with The Rippingtons in 1989. He performed hundreds of shows all over the world and has appeared on many of the band’s classic recordings. Jeff has spent 28 years performing with a variety of contemporary jazz groups and headlining as a solo artist. He has released nine solo CDs and continually records as a guest for many other artists too. Kashiwa founded The Sax Pack, a trio of saxophone headliners, featuring himself, Steve Cole and Kim Waters in 2004. They’ve released 3 CDs so far and they continue to charm audiences with their Rat Pack style reparte’ on tours across the U.S. and abroad. In addition to his active recording and touring career, Kashiwa is a Yamaha artist who has given many clinics while on tour across the country. Kashiwa brings his passion for music education to Shoreline Community College, leading ensembles and teaching Music Technology courses online. He has designed 4 online courses: all of them have been certified by Quality Matters, a nationally recognized online course design panel. Jeff is also an instructor at Foundry10, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing middle school and high school students an opportunity to create art and music in the digital realm. Jeff spent two years studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston and completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance at Cal State Long Beach in 1986. His primary instruments are saxophone, flute and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument). For more information about Jeff’s tour dates or recordings, you can visit his website at www.jeffkashiwa.com
Steve Cole Bio:
Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz. The Chicago native exploded onto the scene in 1998 with the album “Stay Awhile” that was produced by fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson. The disc scored two #1 hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist shortly before his sophomore set, “Between Us,” was released in 2000. His catchy singles made him an instant radio favorite and he cranked them out with regularity on subsequent albums “NY LA” (2003), “Spin” (2005, “True” (2006), “Moonlight” (2009), and “True” (2013). In addition to his work as solo artist, Steve has performed/recorded, with Buddy Guy, Boz Scaggs, Brian Culbertson, Larry Carlton, Jeff Lorber, Rick Braun, Peter White, and has been a featured soloist with the City of Prague Orchestra, and The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Known for consistently cranking out chart-topping singles that deploy big vibrant pop hooks, contemporary jazz saxophonist Steve Cole conjures a sonic escapade with the hypnotic “Mirage,” the first single from his eighth album, “Turn It Up,” by Artistry Music. Radio programmers were instantly spellbound, making the track from the set of R&B grooves and soul-powered sojourns the No. 1 single on the Billboard radio chart. Cole records and performs regularly as a founding member of Sax Pack, an all-star sax combo consisting of rotating members Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters, Jackiem Joyner and Marcus Anderson. For more information, please visit www.SteveCole.net