Craig Ochikubo
Craig Ochikubo
Synthesizer Keyboards and Acoustic Piano
Contact Information
Current Projects
Craig is currently composing and performing throughout the US with the East Los Angeles based group CONTINUUM. The latest configuration of this group consists of Chris Garcia on Drumset and Percussion, Alfred Garcia on Bass and Guitar, with Craig holding down the keyboard seat.
Biography
Craig was born on the East Coast and raised in Hawaii, before finally moving to Los Angeles in 1986. His path as a musician followed a more standard route - formal classical piano lessons by day, while playing guitar, bass, and keyboards in local nightclubs. Intrigued by the possibilities of instrumental music after hearing Miles Davis, YellowJackets, and Weather Report, he soon found himself seduced by the jazz experience - working his way back to the masters of the idiom, including Miles, Monk, Jarrett, and Evans. He cites private lessons with Kei Akagi and the broader influence of Los Angeles giving him an opportunity to play with like minded musicians in an open ended environment.
Craig's considerable abilities as a musician combined with his electrical engineering background led him to select synthesizer keyboards as his primary instrument, enabling him to create unique textures and voices which are truly his own. Adept at both textural sonorities and as a solo voice he has garnered critical acclaim and is very much in demand. Coupled with his fertile imagination and hard work, his growth as a total musician with CONTINUUM has been phenomenal.
Reviews
"CONTINUUM/YOU TELL ME; Okay I'll tell you - this is some of the best jazz fusion I've heard, bar none. The bass and synths particularly kill...."
Music Technology Magazine
"As a longtime member of the band CONTINUUM, Ochikubo has developed a sharp, expansive approach to electric jazz. His solos are outstanding for their subtle twists on traditional notions and conventions, and his ensemble performance is well-crafted and unfailingly energetic."
Titus Levi - Keyboard Player Magazine
Performance Credits
John Bergamo, Steve Billman, Paul Carman, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, Chris Garcia, Jeff Gauthier, Vinny Golia, Looney Booms, Alan Lechusza, Roberto Miranda, Bill Plake, Quarteto Nuevo, G.E. Stinson, Andy Suzuki, Anders Swanson, Michael Vlatkovich, Mark Weber, Jeanette Wrate, & others.
Equipment
Craig's love and appreciation for musical instruments stretches from the grand piano to the very latest state-of-the art electronic instruments. A particular passion is the "breath controlling" of synthesizer instruments which has preoccupied him since 1983. Ever since Yamaha introduced the breath controller on the toy analog keyboard the CS01, Craig has been working with this as a performance tool.
Craig has made the transition to a "soft synth" sound creation environment, using a MacBook running Apple Logic Pro as the sound generation engine. This has enabled him to replace what was a rack of equipment from Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Kurzweil, and Opcode Systems, with a much more portable and flexible system.
The current configuration uses a Yamaha VL1 for his breath controlled "voice" and a generic MIDI controller to drive the computer based system. The sound path is driven through a MOTU Ultralite audio interface and Peavey DPC750 stereo power amp driving road beaten pair of Bag End TA-12Jr speakers.
The most recent instrument added is a Persian ney - which is currently kicking his butt.
Discography
