About Kunito Kitai

Yamaha Music Foundation certified instructor, drum expert.

Born 1995 in Nara Prefecture.

Began playing drums at the age of nine.

After nine years of brass band experience in high school, he entered Kunitachi College of Music as a Jazz major.

During college, he participated in the Yamanovic Band Contest as part of Tokyo Institute of Technology Los Guaracheros in 2014, joined the Kunitachi College of Music Newtide Jazz Orchestra in 2015, and was the band master of the band in 2016.

• In 2014, he was selected as a regular by Yoshiaki Masuo and started his professional career.
• In 2015, he performed as part of the Makoto Ozone Trio at Asuka II Cruise Concert.
• In 2016, he was selected for the "JFC All Star Big Band" led by Makoto Ozone and performed on the Tokyo jazz main stage.
• In 2017, he Joined Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band and performed at Montreux Jazz Festival Japan and the Blue Note Tokyo.
• In 2018 he toured with Toshio Kadomatsu's "BREATH from THE SEASON". In August, he appeared on TV Asahi's “Untitled Concert” as part of the “Eric Miashiro Band”. From this year on, he appeared on tours and rock festivals around the country as a support drummer for the entertainment jazz band Calmera from Osaka.
• In 2019 He joined up with the "Ozone Shin Band" for the 45th anniversary of the long-established jazz club Body & Soul. He also joined Taketoshi Sato's "Rockin 'It Jazz Orchestra-Live in Tokyo & Osaka-". From this year on he teamed up with Isao Suzuki's "OMA SOUND" and performed at "OCT-LOFT JAZZ FESTIVAL" in Shenzhen, China.

He's worked with Square Enix on "SQUARE ENIX JAZZ -FINAL FANTASY-" and Chiaki Kizaki's original anime "Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen".

He has played with Yosuke Inoue (Bs), Eric Miyagi (Tp), Makoto Ozone (Pf), Toshio Kadomatsu (Vo), Takeyoshi Sato (Vo), Isao Suzuki (Bs), Eijiro Nakagawa (Tb), Kengo Nakamura (Bs), Bakabon Suzuki (Bs), Hino “JINO” Kenji (Bs), Masato Honda (Sax), Yoshiaki Masuo (Gt), and others.

Currently active in various genres and with various live shows and recordings, and is involved mainly with MAGATAMA, Isao Suzuki's OMA SOUND, and the entertainment jazz band "Calmera".

He's studied under Akira Jimbo, Tohru Takahashi, Shinnosuke Takahashi and Shingo Iseya.

He's currently a music Adviser with "Musician's Creativity Lab" by YAMAHA and Akira Jimbo and helps train the next generation of stars.