Booker Back Bar Piano Sessions featuring Keiko Komacki: FREE 8-10PM

https://www.keikokomaki.com

Keiko Komaki personifies music. An accomplished pianist and B-3 player. Keiko boasts a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Kunitachi College of Music in her native Japan. A classical child prodigy, Keiko Komaki, began playing the piano at just 5 years old. From annual participation in the Yamaha Junior Original Concert competition as a child to her stirring performances in New Orleans today, Keiko's connection to the piano and organ is palpable. One can't listen to Komaki's robust chords and funky melodies, without sensing her deep passion for music or recognizing the superb talent that she possesses. Keiko's tiny frame and seemingly demure presence masks a powerful and versatile artist whom specializes in Blues, Jazz and Funk.

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Keiko Komaki hails from Kagoshima, Japan. After graduation from Kunitachi College of Music, she quickly became more interested in the improvisation world playing funk, blues, and jazz fusion rather than her classical roots. However, it was a few years later where she learned of New Orleans music from listening to a CD of Meters, Professor Longhair and Dr. John . She later visited New Orleans for Jazz Fest with her Japan-based New Orleans genre music band and decided to take the bold step in 2006 to move to the city and make it as a musician, despite opposition from her family.

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Keiko has reached her goal of musical success in the city. Shortly after moving to New Orleans, she started to play with the Late Marva Wright and the Wild Magnolias as their keyboard player and started to perform at local clubs and tour with them for three years till Marva was passed away. Since then, she has played with many of the Crescent City's most beloved musicians including Vasti Jackson, Benny Turner, Marc Stone, George Porter Jr, Charlie Wooten, Brass-a-holics, Gary Brown, Johnny Vidacovich, June Yamagishi, Terrence Houston, Travis "Trumpet Black" Russell Batiste,, James Andrew, Bobby Rush, and many more.

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In 2013 Keiko played on “Playing for Change band” latest video “Better Place”, which was created in partnership with the United Nations. The video had 850,000 viewers worldwide. From 2013 to the present time, Keiko has been an active member of the PFC band (Playing for Change). Keiko has done a 30 state U.S. tour and toured over 20 countries in Europe and South America (Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Uk, Luxembourg, Israel, Lebanon, Australia, Brasil, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Japan, Australia and the Carribean Islands).

She can regularly be heard as a keyboard player for Playing for Change, Benny Turner & Real Blues, Vasti Jackson, Marc Stone band, and Pink Magnolias.