Colors of a Journey Naoya Ogura

• 1 Moon 05:42
• 2 Anything Goes 04:22
• 3 CYF 09:15
• 4 That's the Idea 05:52
• 5 Moose the Mooche 07:19
• 6 Everything Happens to Me 07:18
• 7 Colors of a Journey 03:48
• 8 The Place Where I Used to Be 07:57
• 9 I Love You 04:00
• Total Runtime 55:33

Info for Colors of a Journey

Colors of a Journey" is a full-length work by New York-based trumpeter/arranger Naoya Ogura. This is a big band work produced with world-class top players, who gathered together to "play this music" and immerse themselves in Ogura's musical world with overwhelming performance skills and passion. The arrangements of five originals and four standards, each featuring the distinctive personality of each player, including bassist Joe Martin, captivate the audience with their contemporary and colorful sound, while keeping the jazz tradition in mind. The fantastic melody of the opening track, "Moon," evokes emotion and excitement, taking the listener on a grand sonic journey throughout the album. Produced by Michael Philip Mossman, the album also includes liner notes by leading drummer/arranger Dennis Mackrel. A must-listen for jazz fans in Japan and abroad alike, this is a masterpiece that allows you to experience world-class performances and Naoya Ogura's unique musical world in its entirety.

Naoya Ogura, trumpet

Naoya Ogura
A native of Kobe, Japan, Naoya Ogura started playing Jazz in the school Jazz band at Hyogo Prefectural International High School, “Hoppin’ Note.” Through its activities, he experienced and deepened his knowledge about big band Jazz, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Buddy Rich, and others.

In 2010, the band was awarded a “The City of Kobe Board of Education” prize in a national convention of high school jazz band, Student Jazz Festival. After studying at Doshisha University, he actively played jazz trumpet in various groups and eventually started composing/arranging. He belonged to the university's 18-piece jazz orchestra and played the trumpet. His band performed at many concerts and in some competitions. Besides the University Orchestra, he formed several groups and performed in jazz clubs. He led the band Naoya Ogura Septet for years and performed on the main stage of some huge jazz festivals in Japan, such as the Takatsuki Jazz Street and the Biwako Jazz Festival. After his graduation, he started his professional career as a jazz musician. Since then, he has played in many places around Japan. He participated many times in the recording of jazz albums and pop albums as a trumpeter.

In January 2020, Naoya moved to New York to pursue his profession in music. He attended Aaron Copland School of Music in Queens College, where he studied Jazz composition with Michael Phillip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Tim Armacost, Pete Calandra, David Berkman, Dennis Mackrel, and Donna Doyle. While studying at the college, he actively performed with the Queens College Ensemble. He wrote arrangements for the band and conducted it. He and his band performed at The Jimmy Heath Scholarship Fund Concert with Mark Gross, Diego Urcola, Jon Faddis, Lew Tabackin, Emmet Cohen, Gary Smulyan, Robin Eubanks, Steve Davis, Evan Sherman, and many others.

As a composer, his works have been well appreciated among NYC-based composers and musicians. For his works, he was awarded the Marvin Hamlisch International Music Award 2021 and the Jimmy Heath Music Award. He also became the first-prize winner of the Jimmy Heath Scholarship, established in 2022.

This album contains no booklet.