Upon arriving at the jazz bar, Born Free, we were greeted by the talented tenor player, Tsutomu Takei. Kei Morishita was also on hand, setting up the drum kit for the upcoming performance. Born Free is a wonderful venue, renowned for its rich history in jazz music. Before the show, we did a quick rehearsal and I was thrilled to be playing with Tsutomu once again. He played with me on the album release tour back in 2016. He has a melodic playing style that perfectly complements my own and he is also a great guy to work with, always relaxed and full of humor. We had a fantastic time playing together and the combination of tenor and alto was truly special. After the show, I thanked both Kei and Tsutomu for their hard work, as this was the final gig with the band.
The following day, Satoshi, Yuuki and I were due to meet with the rhythm section for my Bad Boys album. Gaku Hasegawa on drums and Shunichi Yanagi on piano would be joining us for the remainder of the tour. Additionally, Yuuki would be playing the trumpet for the next two shows, with Nana Sakamoto on trombone joining us for these concerts. I was excited to have a dream lineup of three horns.
Before departing for Nagoya, Satoshi, Yuuki and I enjoyed some delicious ramen. I stayed the night at Satoshi’s place in Nagoya and Yuuki was dropped off at his home not far from the city. The next day, Yuuki would pick up Nana and drive to the venue. Upon arriving at Satoshi’s place late in the evening, I was immediately made to feel at home with my own private room. After two dry beers, I headed off to bed.
This day started for me same as always, making my way to the local Starbucks located near the train station to grab my morning coffee. I had some free time before we were scheduled to embark on a trip to Kobe, so I decided to take a leisurely stroll in the shopping mall located behind the station. Despite the abundance of people in Japan, I always find the atmosphere to be tranquil and serene.
