陸 悠 / Yu Kuga
兵庫県神戸市出身の作編曲家、サックス奏者。
日本では、サックスを古谷光広氏に、ピアノを宮下博行氏に師事。
2016年、ボストンのバークリー音楽院に奨学金を得て入学。Jazz Compositionを専攻し、作編曲をAyn Inserto, Greg Hopkins, Bob Pilkington, Scott Free, Jackson Shultz, Robert Rodriguez氏に師事。サックスはRick DiMuzio氏に師事し、ImprovisationやThematic Developmentを用いた演奏法を学んだ。在学時、Duke Ellington Awardを受賞。
2018年8月にバークリー音楽院を首席卒業し、日本を拠点に活動を開始。
黒田卓也氏、大林武司氏、Louis Cole氏、Yuki Monolog Kanesaka氏、MISIA氏らと共演。MISIA Soul Jazz Big Band Orchestra Sweet & Tender アリーナツアー、Takuya Kuroda aTak Band, 大西順子presents THE ORCHESTRA, LOUIS COLE BIG BANDのメンバーとして日本ツアー、韓国公演に参加するなど、国内外のアーティストと共演。
スタジオレコーディングにおいても、Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone sax, Flute, Clarinet 奏者として活躍。
また2023年11月に1st アルバム "Chaos" を発表したバンド "Tenors in Chaos" (aTak Records) のメンバーとして演奏・作編曲を担当するなど、活動の分野は多岐にわたる。
Yu Kuga is an award winning saxophonist from Kobe, Japan.
He’s studied with saxophonist Mitsuhiro Furuya and pianist Hiroyuki Miyashita in Japan, and has been featured on Japan Student Jazz Festival and Kobe Next Jazz Competition.
He launched his career in Japan leading the group The Five Colors, where he wrote and performed his original music in Kobe and Osaka. Yu’s debut album Declaration of Independence was released in 2016 and is available by contact.
Yu continued to grow his artistry as a performer and writer while studying with renowned artists and educators Ayn Inserto, Greg Hopkins, Bob Pilkington, Scott Free, Jackson Shultz, Robert Rodriguez, and Rick Dimuzio at Berklee College of Music. Yu was a highlight sought-after performer and collaborator on an array of projects spanning many styles of music. He was award Duke Ellington Award while at Berklee.
Yu’s writing skills span the styles perfected by Count Basie, Bob Brookmeyer and Maria Schneider. Yet, he continues to adapt and explore the endless nuances present in the world of composition. He is now living and working Japan.