Artist description Swing band with Oriental flavors such as Koto, Shakuhachi, Shamisen and etc.( No horns )

Music Style Swing

Artist History " On the bandstand is a crazy crew / Saxes mixed with shakuhachi / A koto playin' somethin' catchy / Riffin' on a 40s tune..."The Zen Zootsuit Band was born 62 years ago in Tokyo. The brainchild of three musician brothers who shared a love for Hollywood westerns and American swing music. They convinced the Waldorf Hotel in Tokyo to turn over their Monday nights for an evening of their special brand of Swing music, and almost from the beginning it was a huge "popular" success.Drawing not only sophisticated clubgoers, but tourists and locals as well.At first, the press and certain "effete" music critics labeled the new band as an "affront to classical Japanese music", "outrageous" and "an unwieldly mix of Japanese and Western sensibilities".It was really the daughter of the Emperor who legitimized the band and danced a mean jitterbug to boot. Within weeks the papers changed their tune and started featuring the band and itŐs members regularly in picture and story. Their flamboyant personalities and original style of mixing traditional Japanese dress with tuxedos and zootsuits gave them their name... THE ZEN ZOOTSUIT BAND.The band is sixteen musicians strong, that through the years have constantly "updated" it's music and many of the children and grandchildren of the original members play in the band.So, we're proud to present for the first time to "ears" outside of Japan the strange and wonderful world of the Zen Zootsuit Band.Mark Winkler

Group Members Dr. Kitajima, Freddie Ravel, Mark Winkler, Brandon Fields, Clayton Cameron, Larry Antonino, Masakazu Yoshizawa, Chris Mancinelli, Tina Gullickson

Instruments Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass, Koto, Shakuhachi, Sax

Albums Tea for Two

Location Woodland Hills, CA - USA

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