Biography
One of smooth jazz’s leading saxophonists, Jeff Kashiwa first gained widespread recognition through his long association with the Rippingtons. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1963, he relocated with his family to Seattle at an early age and began studying clarinet—presented to him by his father—at ten. Two years later he made the change to saxophone. Drawn to the pioneering smooth-jazz sounds of Chuck Mangione and Spyro Gyra, he moved to Boston to enroll at the Berklee College of Music, where an emerging interest in straight-ahead jazz began to shape his live performances. That dedication led to his selection for the second alto chair in Disney’s All American College Band.
Finding himself at home in Southern California, Kashiwa transferred to Cal State Long Beach to complete his Bachelor of Music degree. While there he toured with the ska/reggae ensemble the Untouchables and appeared on MTV’s inaugural Spring Break broadcast. Still balancing a daytime job at a grocery store with evening gigs, he engaged bassist Steve Bailey—then a member of the Rippingtons—to perform on a session. Bailey in turn introduced him to the group’s pianist and leader, Russ Freeman, who brought Kashiwa into the lineup in 1989 following the departure of original saxophonist Brandon Fields. During his tenure with the Rippingtons he issued two solo projects, Remember Catalina in 1995 and Walkamile in 1997, before exiting in 1999 to devote greater attention to his own ensemble, Coastal Access.
Kashiwa’s solo trajectory accelerated sharply after the 2000 Radio & Records airplay chart-topper “Hyde Park (The Aah, Ooh Song),” which held the summit for more than eight weeks. His Native Language debut, Another Door Opens, and the more acoustic-oriented follow-up Simple Truth in 2002 confirmed his standing among the genre’s foremost sax voices. In addition to maintaining an annual schedule of 60–80 dates with Coastal Access, he maintained an active sideman calendar alongside Joyce Cooling, Chieli Minucci, Acoustic Alchemy, and frequent collaborator and co-producer Chuck Loeb. The year 2006 brought a reunion with the Rippingtons for their twentieth-anniversary tour and a guest appearance on the accompanying 20th Anniversary album.
Summer 2007 found him back on the road with the Rippingtons and issuing his fourth Native Language recording, Play. The next year he formed the supergroup the Sax Pack with saxophonists Kim Waters and Steve Cole, then returned to solo work with Back in the Day. Subsequent contributions included tracks for David Benoit’s Earthglow, the Rippingtons’ Modern Art and Côte d’Azur, and his own eighth studio album, Let It Ride, released in 2012—the same year the Rippingtons issued Built to Last. Additional guest appearances followed on projects by Brian Culbertson and Willie Bradley. The Sax Pack’s third studio set, Power of 3, arrived in 2015. In 2017 Kashiwa released Fly Away, which featured contributions from Marc Antoine, Acoustic Alchemy’s Miles Gilderdale, Spyro Gyra’s Tom Schuman, and others.
Finding himself at home in Southern California, Kashiwa transferred to Cal State Long Beach to complete his Bachelor of Music degree. While there he toured with the ska/reggae ensemble the Untouchables and appeared on MTV’s inaugural Spring Break broadcast. Still balancing a daytime job at a grocery store with evening gigs, he engaged bassist Steve Bailey—then a member of the Rippingtons—to perform on a session. Bailey in turn introduced him to the group’s pianist and leader, Russ Freeman, who brought Kashiwa into the lineup in 1989 following the departure of original saxophonist Brandon Fields. During his tenure with the Rippingtons he issued two solo projects, Remember Catalina in 1995 and Walkamile in 1997, before exiting in 1999 to devote greater attention to his own ensemble, Coastal Access.
Kashiwa’s solo trajectory accelerated sharply after the 2000 Radio & Records airplay chart-topper “Hyde Park (The Aah, Ooh Song),” which held the summit for more than eight weeks. His Native Language debut, Another Door Opens, and the more acoustic-oriented follow-up Simple Truth in 2002 confirmed his standing among the genre’s foremost sax voices. In addition to maintaining an annual schedule of 60–80 dates with Coastal Access, he maintained an active sideman calendar alongside Joyce Cooling, Chieli Minucci, Acoustic Alchemy, and frequent collaborator and co-producer Chuck Loeb. The year 2006 brought a reunion with the Rippingtons for their twentieth-anniversary tour and a guest appearance on the accompanying 20th Anniversary album.
Summer 2007 found him back on the road with the Rippingtons and issuing his fourth Native Language recording, Play. The next year he formed the supergroup the Sax Pack with saxophonists Kim Waters and Steve Cole, then returned to solo work with Back in the Day. Subsequent contributions included tracks for David Benoit’s Earthglow, the Rippingtons’ Modern Art and Côte d’Azur, and his own eighth studio album, Let It Ride, released in 2012—the same year the Rippingtons issued Built to Last. Additional guest appearances followed on projects by Brian Culbertson and Willie Bradley. The Sax Pack’s third studio set, Power of 3, arrived in 2015. In 2017 Kashiwa released Fly Away, which featured contributions from Marc Antoine, Acoustic Alchemy’s Miles Gilderdale, Spyro Gyra’s Tom Schuman, and others.
Albums
