Witness the electrifying performance of 15-year-old drumming sensation YOYOKA as she joins forces with the Ken Okada Group in a high-energy jazz fusion concert. The ensemble also features Grammy-winning saxophonist Ben Torres, DownBeat Rising Star guitarist Hristo Vitchev, and London-based acclaimed jazz pianist Saaya Matsumoto.
Ticket: ₤28.50
Available at:
https://domelondon.seetickets.com/event/yoyoka/downstairs-at-the-dome/3426836
Program:
YOYOKA Solo Performance
YOYOKA & Her Family Band
Ken Okada Group ft. YOYOKA
YOYOKA Jam Session with special guests
About YOYOKA:
Born in Hokkaido, Japan, YOYOKA started playing drums even before she began to speak. When she was eight years old, she became the youngest weekly champion in the global drumming contest “Hit Like a Girl.” During this period, YOYOKA’s drum cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” received international recognition and praise, including from Robert Plant himself.
YOYOKA became the youngest person to be featured on Drummerworld’s list of the world’s Top 500 Drummers and appeared in Newsweek Japan’s “100 Most Respected Japanese in the World.”
Her two appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” along with commercials for companies like UNIQLO and Nike, have expanded her reach. Guest performances with many top artists including Fall Out Boy and Cyndi Lauper, as well as coverages by CNN, NBC, NPR, BBC, Billboard, Rolling Stone, etc., have further highlighted her talent.
When YOYOKA was 12, her original song “Sparkling,” featuring renowned musicians including Rhonda Smith and Derek Sherinian, topped charts in various countries like Japan, Australia, Italy, Germany, and United States.
YOYOKA now resides in Los Angeles and continues to strive to bring energy to people through music and shape the global artistic landscape in the years to come.
YOYOKA is an endorser of Ludwig drums. Since the age of eight, YOYOKA has been an endorser of Zildjian cymbals and Vic Firth sticks.
About Ken Okada:
Bassist, composer, and arranger Noriyuki Ken Okada was born in New York and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and Yokohama, Japan. Ken’s teenage years brought inspiration from Japanese fusion and video game music, leading him to explore jazz and winning the largest national collage big band competition in Japan.
After relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002, Ken has had the privilege of collaborating with acclaimed local jazz artists in the Bay Area, appearing in renowned jazz festivals such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival, Stanford Jazz Festival, and SFJAZZ, and world-class jazz clubs such as Yoshi’s, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, SFJAZZ Center, and Dizzy’s.
In addition to performing as a sideman, Ken has devoted time to crafting his original compositions and recently formed his own band. Their first album “Square One” and second album “Young and Brave”, both featuring YOYOKA, showcase a unique blend of jazz, fusion, and an eclectic array of musical influences.
The Band:
YOYOKA – drums
Ben Torres – tenor sax
Hristo Vitchev – guitar
Saaya Matsumoto – keys
Ken Okada – bass, composer & leader
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