ASA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Akira Komatsu

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE ASA EVENT/MEMORY OR SOMETHING YOU'VE LEARNED 

I have really enjoyed Vitello's gathering. I love meeting and eating there! Taxi Driver Study was a great seminar, comprehensible and deep. Study with Jeff Beal was very inspiring because horror / suspense is my area.

 

BRIEFLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER AND/OR ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

I came to LA in 95' for the first time after my graduation from Waseda Univ. in Tokyo Japan. I had studied contemporary jazz guitar improvisation at Musicians Institute / GIT in Hollywood in the 95-6' with Jeff Richman, Joe Diorio, Scott Henderson, Sid Jacobs back then and graduated with the human relation award, the Ovation guitar I am holding in the picture is the prize. I have gone back to Tokyo after my graduation once and had been working as musical instructor, guitarist and media composer for TV commercial, indie movie, etc. Fortunately, I could be back in LA in 2017. I've been composing for indie movies, library music, including albums released from Counter Communications and Flipper Music, and playing as an accompanying guitarist in comedy shows since moving to LA. I participated in some quarantine projects, including "Quarantine Music Chain with Kenny G" produced by Imre Czomba, "Lights In The Forest V" produced by David Raiklen and "Raising Voices", a project in in support of social justice and equality organizations, produced by Chris and Marion Wirsig. I am also a Japanese / English interpreter, translator, worked for the masterclass with Grammy Award-winning producer and mix engineer Dave Isaac, Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Francis Buckley, Ivan Zawinul, Zahari Schtonov at my old school MI.

 

NAME ONE COMPOSER OR MUSICIAN THAT HAS INFLUENCED YOU THE MOST 

Christopher Young

 

ANY LIFE OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE FOR OUR COMMUNITY?

I am the last person to advise you something but would like to be advised by you all. Just one thing I can say is "one life to live". I came to LA following my dream and quitting day job in 2017 at the age of 49 young from Tokyo Japan. Age is just a number here, but not in my country with invisible "should be" standards. Some had even ridiculed me. I keep telling myself , "Do or die","Go big or go home." or "Fake it till you make it.", like a mantra.

 

WHAT ARE SOME NON-MUSIC RELATED INTERESTS YOU HAVE? (IF ANY!)

Language exchange. Message me if you are interested in Japanese.