Welcome

Kokichi(Koh) Tagawa
Jazz Melodica(Pianica), Jazz Pianist, Vibraphone, Drums, E.Bass, Composer--lives in Portland, OR 2012--Present
He graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music in 1995, in Jazz Composition with Vibraphone. He studied with Gary Burton, Ed Saindon, Ted Pease.
A native of Japan, Kokichi has always been passionate about jazz, playing in night clubs after work. He came to Boston with wife and 4 children in 1992 at age of 46 to attend college and fulfill his dream to be a professional musician.
2002-2012 Lexington, KY


Scrapple From The Apple(Charlie Parker) Kokichi Tagawa Trio 
     Corkscrew Wine Bar 9/14/2014




A Night with Ko
                                                       by David Nollman
A night with Ko
seems at first
like a traditional night of jazz
of the beautiful standards
of Porter and Kern and Rogers and Hart.
Soft…
evocative…
a gentle journey back to a simpler time.

If you’re a regular,
you catch it right away
but, unless you've been here before,
you're unaware
that, when he starts to close his eyes,
the transformation has begun,
and subtly,
so subtly you didn't notice,
that the terrain has changed.
The melody with all its familiarity is gone,
and the gentle pianist
has swept you to a place you've never been.
He has, once again, drawn you in
and the soft, evocative place you started
is now a speck of light on a distant shore.

It’s no longer
just Porter, Kern or Rogers and Hart,
but Tagawa… unleashed!
Tagawa… mad, furious and unbridled!
Tagawa… up and off the piano bench!

Tagawa, so at one with his music
that it is only after the last cord is played,
after he has gently brought you back to earth,
after your breath has begun to return,
that you realize
that all this was done,
in the tradition of the great masters,

with his eyes completely closed.
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4/14/2015 personal email for Pandafes
“Hi Kokichi- Thank you so very much for your outstanding performance! You are very talented and your music was absolutely wonderful! I am so glad you were able to talk to some of our Japanese students! We had almost. 300 people at the event!! I am so glad you were able to get home safely. That does make it a very long day for you. Thank you again for such a great performance! Kim.”

Kim Jackson,Big Bent Community College, Moses Lake, WA