Shinji Kitamura (alto saxophone) will leave Djamra

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 Masaharu NAKAKITA wrote:

An important announcement from Masaharu and DJAMRA ... 

Sad to say, Shinji KITAMURA, the alto saxophonist / the excellent vice leader of DJAMRA for over twenty years, will resign from his current position after the gig at Kadoma P. A. D. (Art Festival) upon May 30 2015. His strong intention to play the music in other genres / subgenres in the latter life of his was pretty understandable enough to part from each other since now.

Lots of splendid experiences Shinji and I have had ... a great first trip to New York with him, a home party through the night, with discussion of future dreams for music (and my mom's harsh words), "... and then there were two" in our early days, a violent stop against me drunken with alcoholic beverage before playing on stage produced by Akihiro "Enon" Enomoto, an accident that Shinji got flu just before our one-man stage, his unique appearance onto stage when he got to be quite late for their gig owing to his work, his powerful negotiation with overseas venues or labels, his powerful (and emergent) activity for plenty of gigs with other combos, my pleasure to gig improvisedly with one of Japanese saxophone giants Akira SAKATA ... oh more and more reminiscences flooded over. I'm sure the twenty years be such a good long time.

Do hope he will walk upon another way and for another goal of music, so powerfully as usual, and we DJAMRA will play our originality rigidly for bringing out novel soundscape. Yes, we all consider the gig with Shinji (and his fans!) at Kadoma P. A. D. should be one of the most important and the most excellent ones of all.

Many thanks to Shinji!