JEFF KASHIWA WITH STEVE OLIVER

Jeff Kashiwa

Seattle native, Jeff Kashiwa became known as one of the most compelling young saxophonists in contemporary jazz during his first year with The Rippingtons back in 1989. Kashiwa performed hundreds of shows all over the world and appeared on many of the band’s classic recordings.

After his decade long tenure with The Rippingtons, Kashiwa’s instincts led him to more dynamic endeavors through his solo career. It surprised many when Jeff left the group to venture out on his own, but he had things to say through his own music.

In 2004, Kashiwa founded The Sax Pack, a trio of saxophone headliners, featuring himself, Steve Cole and Kim Waters. The group released three CDs together and charmed audiences with their Rat Pack style repartee in tours across the U.S. and abroad.

In 2006, Jeff reunited with The Rippingtons for their 20th Anniversary Tour and continued to record and tour with the group until 2016. In addition to touring with The Sax Pack and his own group, Kashiwa has expanded his career to include the realm of music education. He now teaches in the same school district where it all began teaching various music ensembles and online Music Technology courses at Shoreline Community College in Seattle, Washington.

In 2021, Kashiwa released his 11th solo album titled Sunrise, featuring his band, Coastal Access as well as guest performances by Marc Antoine, Tom Schuman and Phillipe Saisse. Jeff is in his 14th year as an Instrumental Ensemble and Music Technology instructor, and Department Chair at Shoreline Community in Seattle, WA.

STEVE OLIVER

With a career spanning nearly 30 years in music, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter,
film music composer, engineer and producer Steve Oliver is still being heard each day on contemporary
and smooth jazz radio around the world.

With his latest project "A New Light", Oliver finds his way back into the glow of "smooth jazz" radio with a collection of originals that will surely please fans that have known his work for decades. Working with hit co-producer Michael "B" Broening, as well as longtime friend, saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa (featured on the title track), legendary drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and bassist Larry Antonino, Steve again conveys his deep passion for memorable compositions, subtle electronics, world influences, pop melodies, and jazz intricacies.

Carrying on the themes of his past albums such as "Radiant" and "Illuminate", "A New Light"
brings a familiar and warm tone with a few surprises.

Steve’s career has produced 14 full-length albums including a “Best Of” album, a “LIVE” album, a Christmas album, a solo guitar album (2022’s “Sojourn”), and a duo album with hit keyboardist and long-time collaborator Brian Simpson which reached the #1 spot on the Billboard and Amazon jazz sales charts (2019’s “Unified”). He’s achieved multiple #1 Billboard hits and over a dozen Top Ten hits as a solo artist and producer in the smooth
or contemporary jazz formats.

As a touring musician, Steve has headlined at iconic venues and festivals worldwide such as Playboy Jazz Festival, Catalina Island Jazztrax Festival, Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival in Spain, Seabreeze Jazz Festival, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Berks Jazz Festival, Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Dave Koz Cruises, Pizza Express London, Yoshi’s Oakland, Thornton Winery Temecula, Scullers Boston, O’Hare Jazz Festival Chicago, Perfect Note Atlanta, Spaghettini Seal Beach, South Jazz Kitchen Philadelphia, Middle C Jazz Charlotte, and many others.

In recent years, Steve has established a reputation for being a highly respected “one stop shop” resource for composing, producing, performing, engineering, and editing a wide scope of projects including contemporary music, television spots, and soundtracks for feature films. He has co-written and produced tracks with GRAMMY award winning World Music pianist Omar Akram and he composed, edited, and mixed music for the 2022 film “Lee’d The Way”, from Oscar and Emmy winning Director Richard L. Anderson.

His compositions can also be heard on albums by contemporary jazz stars such as
Vincent Ingala, Brian Simpson and Paul Taylor.

Steve’s own recordings have featured notable musicians from the world of contemporary jazz and pop, including Nathan East, Vinnie Colaiuta, Harvey Mason, Eric Marienthal, Leland Sklar, Nelson Rangell, Jeff Kashiwa, Jimmy Haslip, Steve Madaio, Tom Schuman, Brandon Fields, Brian Bromberg, Rick Braun, Alan Hewitt, Bob Baldwin, Michael Paulo, Joel Taylor, Steve Reid, Darren Rahn, Melvin Davis, Warren Hill, Paul Taylor, Gerald Veasley, Will Donato, Will Kennedy, Rob Mullins, Billy Sherwood, Scott Ambush, Jim Peterik, Mel Brown, Walle Larsson, Larry Antonino, Tony Guerrero, Greg Vail and more.

For Steve Oliver, music is therapy and a welcomed diversion from the current world climate. With a plethora of legacy hits to his credit including “High Noon”, “Fun In The Sun”, and “Global Kiss”, Oliver has no plans to stop recording or touring anytime soon. But he is just as comfortable in his studio being a creator, adviser, composer,
producer, and mentor for others.