George Kawaguchi, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

George Kawaguchi

Japanese jazz drummer (1927-2003)

Date of Birth: 15-Jun-1927

Place of Birth: Kyoto, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan

Date of Death: 01-Nov-2003

Profession: drummer

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Joji "George" Kawaguchi (????) (June 15, 1927, Fukakusa, Kyoto - November 1, 2003, Tokyo) was a Japanese jazz drummer and bandleader. Kawaguchi was raised in Dairen, Manchukuo, at that time a Japanese-occupied territory.
He played in his father's ensemble as a teenager, and after World War II moved back to Japan, where he embarked on a career in jazz.
He played first with an ensemble called the Azumanians, then joined the Big Four with Hidehiko Matsumoto, Hachidai Nakamura, and Mitsuru Ono; this ensemble played intermittently into the 1980s.
He played extensively with Art Blakey on tour in the 1980s.
He recorded extensively as a leader; his sidemen included Isao Suzuki, Motohiko Hino, Takeshi Inomata, Donald Harrison, Terence Blanchard, Norio Maeda, Tatsuya Takahashi, and Nobuo Hara.