I enjoyed playing “Route 66” at the True Colors JAZZ show. The blues and boogie imagery came to mind, and the fun music excited me. For my solo, I played two pieces by my favorite composer Nikolai Kapustin, “24 Preludes No. 11” and “Raillery.” I love “Raillery” the most. Kapustin’s music is very exciting because it mixes a lot of different music. There are a lot of different notes and the score is beautiful.

When Matsunaga-san and I improvised on the piano together, I was so motivated that I wanted to play one more song. I asked Matsunaga-san for one more improvised piece, and I got very excited and wanted to play more and more. I also played with other people, and this was my first time to play with other instruments. The bass, drums, and many other instruments played solos, and it was very fun and everyone seemed happy. It’s best to do it together rather than playing alone. Nakatani-san’s drums sounded like a Cajon, and Derek’s bass felt heavy in my stomach. I enjoyed the rhythm.

I want to do sessions with orchestras and big bands in the future. I want to write a lot of songs and release CDs and deliver them to as many people as possible. I wish to inspire people all over the world with the songs I write.