Today we’d like to introduce you to Tomoki Sanders.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tomoki. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am a saxophonist, drummer, beat producer and composer. I was born in New York City, NY on November 13, 1994. My father is saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, and my mother is a music-lover from Japan. I was raised in Queens, NY till 2004. Went back and forth between the U.S. and Japan around that time and officially moved to Japan in 2007. In 2014, I attended at Berklee College of Music studying Jazz Performance, graduated in 2018.
I started on drums at 4, with some congas, cymbals and pots and pans, but I’ve always wanted to play the tenor saxophone, which was the only instrument that attracts me the most, seeing my dad and other great saxophone players. I was a super weird kid growing up because I was listening to mostly spiritual jazz or 70’s black music and watch anime and play video games, meanwhile the kids around my age in the 2000s were doing the same, except they’re listening to other genres. I had a clarinet but wasn’t allowed to touch it till I turn, end up teaching myself playing an Eb Clarinet till I got my first alto saxophone when I was 10. I switched to tenor at 14 while my saxophone instructor, Mikio Yoshinari (Music Factory Mito) taught me saxophone, music theory and harmony. For years, I’ve been feeling some disconnection with my generation for so long, until I got into Berklee and realized that there were already people around my age been raised in a musical environment since their childhood.
I studied with Ralph Peterson. Jr, George Garzone, Billy Kilson, Tia Fuller, Raydar Ellis, Neal Smith, Dave Santoro, Ed Tomassi, Jim Odgren, Dino Govoni, Shannon LeClaire and Jason Palmer, etc. during my time at Berklee. Each professor have their own story and experiences to tell and share, which was a blessing to learn and play the music. I also had the honor to perform with Jack DaJohnette, Matt Garrison, Ravi Coltrane, Taylor McFerrin and Mark de Clive-Lowe at the Berklee area. I’m very appreciative what the school have offered me to learn about the diversity of so many genres and cultures to explore and learn. All students from all over the world sharing culture and music had really opened my mind and inspired me.
I moved to New Jersey last summer, start gigging at weddings, clubs, bars and live venues around New York City, New Jersey and Boston. Also go to jam sessions at Nublu 151 on every Monday night, and other places like Smalls Jazz Club, Fat Cat and Smoke Jazz Club. The jam session scene in New York City is one of my most treasurable and unforgettable moments in the city when the young cats and the elders share the same passion towards the music.
I am currently in Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic and the police brutality that is occurred in the United States.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road were never smooth, there were challenges filled with pressure and anxiety, how I felt pressured about how people see me as a “legacy” because of my dad, which I still find it hard to accept and be comfortable with it till this day and find my way to be my true self and honesty towards the music. But, I am very grateful for the opportunities that I experienced because of the legacy and gave me acceptance to learn, explore and treasure every moment on stage, and most importantly, enjoy the music and play.
My other challenge was, I am also very opinionated about how the term “jazz” as the name of the music and the representation of the music. For the last four years, I started to see less young black kids playing this music where they feel a lack of representation and distance from the black community. I started to stop using the term and replaced it as Black American Music, due to the history behind it and how the music was architected. It was a huge pressure for me, to the point where I wasn’t sure if my music was “jazz enough”. But since “jazz” have so much styles, which is hard to define what “jazz” really is. But, until I discussed with great artists like: Nicholas Payton, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Maurice Brown and Robert Glasper, have given me an easier and clear understanding what this music is all about.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I primarily play the tenor saxophone and an electronic wind instrument called and “EWI”, partially play drums and some keys for beat-making and composition. For saxophone playing, My influences are John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Arthur Rhames, Gary Bartz, George Adams, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Ralph Moore, Kenny Garrett, Kamasi Washington and Shabaka Hutchings.
My other influences are; Art Blakey, Fela Kuti, Donald Byrd, A Tribe Called Quest, Daft Punk, Erykah Badu, The Roots, J Dilla, Radiohead, Utada Hikaru, The Neptunes, Chris Dave, Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, Monte Booker, etc.
I specialize in a variety of styles like: Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Soul, Neo-Soul, Afrobeat, Rock, Vaporwave, Electronic music, Pop music and World music etc.
What sets me apart from others is both of my cultures, Black culture and Japanese culture, since I’m half Black and Japanese and I would like to share my true experiences and embrace my cultures.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, I never really thought about what I would’ve done differently. But I had some moments where I wanted to play ore alto saxophone than tenor for a short period of time. But I didn’t want to play alto, because I immediately wanted to channel Eric Dolphy, Gary Bartz, Kenny Garrett and Casey Benjamin.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tomokisanders.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomokisanders/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialtomokisanders
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomokiSanders
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/tomoki-sanders
Image Credit:
picture with Ravi Coltrane is photographed by William Brown (@willbejazz), other photos are unknown credits
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