About

中村海斗

NY市出身、栃木・群馬育ち。6歳からドラムを学び、中学2年よりセッションホストおよびライブ活動を開始。小学校5年より渡辺貞夫が指導するEscola Jafroに所属。

また、小学校2年生よりヴァイオリンを始め市のジュニアオーケストラで演奏活動を行い、小学校5年から高校3年まで吹奏楽部にてトランペットを担当するなど、幼少期より多角的に音楽経験を積む。作曲は高校卒業前より独学で学び始め、演奏と並行して独自の音楽性を確立。

2018年8月、セイコー主催「SEIKO Summer Jazz Camp」にて特別賞（Special Recognition Award）を前田憲男氏より受賞。同年10月、尚美ミュージックカレッジ主催「高校生ソロプレイヤーズコンテスト2018」にて準グランプリ受賞。2019年7月、バークリー音楽大学のサマープログラム（Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive）に授業料・寮費全額免除の奨学生として参加。2020年9月、同大学に授業料全額免除の奨学生として入学。

2022年12月21日、1stアルバム「Blaque Dawn」をBrilliant Worksよりリリース。続く2025年3月12日、2ndアルバム「Invisible Diary」を自主レーベルより発表。両作品は演奏・作曲の両面において高い評価を受けるとともに、同作は「Music Award Japan 2026」Best Jazz Album部門にエントリーされる。現在は東京近郊を拠点に活動し、ライブ演奏・作曲に加え、海外での演奏活動も展開している。

KAITO NAKAMURA DAVIS

Born in New York and raised in Tochigi and Gunma, Japan, Kaito Nakamura began playing drums at the age of six and started hosting jam sessions and performing live by his second year of junior high school. At age eleven, he joined Escola Jafro, a program directed by acclaimed saxophonist Sadao Watanabe.

In addition to drums, he studied violin from the age of seven and performed with a local youth orchestra. He later played trumpet in his school wind ensemble throughout his middle and high school years, developing a diverse musical foundation from an early age. He began studying composition independently shortly before graduating high school, developing a distinctive musical voice alongside his performance career.

In 2018, he received the Special Recognition Award at the SEIKO Summer Jazz Camp, presented by renowned pianist Norio Maeda. The same year, he was awarded Second Prize at the Shobi Music College High School Solo Players Competition. In 2019, he attended the Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive at Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship, and in 2020, he was admitted to Berklee as a full scholarship student.

He released his debut album “Blaque Dawn” in December 2022, followed by his second album “Invisible Diary” in March 2025. Both works have been highly acclaimed for their musicality and compositional depth, with “Invisible Diary” being selected as an entry for the Best Jazz Album category at the Music Award Japan 2026.

Currently based in Tokyo, he is active as a performer and composer, while also expanding his work internationally.

photos by Osamu Nakamura