artist info

Seattle native, Jeff Kashiwa, will perform songs from his past 10 solo cd’s including the latest release, Fly Away. He will be accompanied by, Coastal Access, an outstanding group of musicians from LA with whom he has been performing and recording for the past 30 years. The evening of Contemporary Jazz will be filled with infectious grooves, inspired melodies and heartfelt solos from this group of world-class musicians.

Seattle native, Jeff Kashiwa became known as one of the most compelling saxophonists in contemporary jazz during his two-decade tenure with The Rippingtons. He performed hundreds of shows all over the world and has appeared on many of the band’s classic recordings. Jeff has also appeared on two Grammy-Nominated CD’s; Acoustic Alchemy’s 2001 release, Aart and The Rippingtons 2009 release, Modern Art. To date, he’s released 10 solo CDs and continually records as a guest for many other artists.

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 repertoire 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).