Takuya Kuroda

Takuya Kuroda stepped into his own at Glasslands on July 26th. I’d seen him as a performer with other musicians for a few years and heard his album “Native Son.” As great as he was and is onstage and on recording, his performance (with amazing musicians whose names I mistakenly didn’t write down that night) was one for the ages. Note that Glasslands, like many of the smaller NYC and borough venues, is acoustically tricky. Sound’s power is often measured by its volume. While that was true of the DJ who preceded Takuya’s show, once Takuya took the stage, he took the stage. His management of the trumpet’s keys, tonalities, and vibrations makes him a musician who will one day be mentioned along with Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Clifford Brown.
Now Takuya vibes and riffs in ways that feel in a most bizarre yet real manner as intimate and bold. Right? How often is something intimate direct, solid, bright, and brave?
There’s a globality to Takuya’s music reflected by tracks on “Rising Son” and absolutely displayed at this show. While I think he is still defining his jazz, its soulful, rich, and improvy quality is clear in his performances and compositions.