Ken Okada Group ft. YOYOKA @ San Jose Jazz Festival 8/11/2024

#HitLikeAGirl - Ken Okada Group ft, YOYOKA (14 year old drummer)

Known as one of the top jazz fusion bassists and composers in Northern California, Ken Okada has performed in clubs and festivals all over the state. At Summer Fest, he performs material including his latest project, Young and Brave, with 14-year-old Japanese rock drummer YOYOKA, who has racked up over 30 million views on YouTube.

Okada recently formed his own band, the Ken Okada Group. The band’s first album Square One, and their latest album, Young and Brave finds them joining forces with YOYOKA, showcasing a blend of jazz, fusion and an eclectic array of other musical influences. The quintet is rounded out by tenor saxophonist Ben Torres, guitarist Hristo Vitchev and pianist/keyboardist Murray Low.

Beginning piano at age five, Okada added electric bass and drums to his skillset at 12. His teenage years brought inspiration from Japanese fusion and video game music, leading him to explore jazz and achieve recognition with Keio University’s prestigious big band, where he won the largest national big band competition in Japan.

Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Yoyoka Soma started playing drums even before she began to speak. At age eight, she became the youngest weekly champion in the global drumming contest “Hit Like a Girl.” In 2009, she became the youngest person to be featured on Drummerworld’s list of the world’s Top 500 Drummers.
#drums #jazz #jazzfusion #drummer
‪@yoyoka_soma‬