Gary Fukushima

Gary Fukushima is a keyboardist and composer in Los Angeles, as well as a jazz journalist and monthly contributor to DownBeat Magazine.

He has performed throughout the United States, South America, and Asia with Alphonso Johnson and Chester Thompson (Weather Report, Santana, Genesis), Japanese fusion star Senri Kawaguchi, and Blue Note singer/songwriter Priscilla Ahn.  He leads his own progressive electronic jazz group which released their debut EP, Preludes, Vol. 1, in 2019, with a full-length album set for release in 2024. 

A native of Seattle, Washington, Gary relocated to Southern California in 2003 and is currently active in the Los Angeles music scene, having recorded and performed with Mike Stern, Ndugu Chancler, Katisse Buckingham, Anthony Wilson, Tina Raymond, John Daversa, Anthony Jackson, Clayton Cameron, Gilad Hekselman, Mark Ferber, Alan Ferber, Rickey Woodard, Nick Mancini, Hitomi Oba, Steve Cotter, Cathy Segal Garcia, Nolan Shaheed, Federico Ramos, Jeff Clayton, Mike O’Neill, Joe La Barbara, Larry Koonse, Matt Otto, Darek Oles, Ralph Alessi, Kathleen Grace, Peter Epstein, Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Ben Wendel, Roy McCurdy, and others. 

He is on the faculties at California State University, Northridge, Pasadena City College, and the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and he writes regularly about jazz, having his words published for Downbeat Magazine, LA Weekly, LA Jazz Scene, and other publications, having interviewed or profiled many jazz luminaries including Pharoah Sanders, esperanza spalding, Chick Corea, Abdullah Ibrahim, Wadada Leo Smith, Gerald Clayton, John Clayton, Fred Hersch, Joshua Redman, Todd Sickafoose, Kenny Burrell, Vijay Iyer, Vince Mendoza, Theo Croker, Jenny Scheinman, Dan Tepfer, Mark de Clive-Lowe, and more.

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