MALTA PLANET

Artist Profile

• MALTA'music

  Born in Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture in 1949. He began to play saxophone at the age of 13. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Instrumental Music in 1973. In 1975, he also studied under Joe Viola (Berklee Conservatory), Joe Allard (New England Conservatory of Music), Charlie Mariano, Phil Woods, etc. 1976 Graduated from Berklee College of Music (Boston U.S.A) For a year and a half, he was a lecturer at the school. 1977 Entered New York from Boston. Studied under Steve Grossman. Participated in a band led by Paul Jeffery (Lecturer at Juilliard School). 1978 Performed with Duke Ellington Orchestra (conductor mercer Ellington), Charles Mingus, Jack McDuff and more. In 1979, he was welcomed by the prestigious Lionel Hampton Orchestra and became the band's lead alto and concertmaster. In 1983, he signed a contract with JVC and released his debut album MALTA. It was an explosive hit with the release of his first L.A. recording album, "High Pressure." In 1987, he was ranked #1 in adlib's reader's vote (saxophone category) and player magazine's best player in japan.

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