On Our Way (EP) Yu Sakai feat. TBN TRIO

• 1 Get it together (TBN Ver.) 05:14
• 2 Story ~ Gaze, Daydream ~ Rose & Rhodes (TBN Ver.) 06:39
• 3 Sinatra, The Darkness Of Cherry Blossom (TBN Ver.) 05:43
• 4 Yosakoi Naruko Odori (TBN Ver.) 05:01
• Total Runtime 22:37

Info for On Our Way (EP)

The hot studio session was just like the real "Tiny Desk Concert" performance.

People often ask us how we select artists to play the Desk. It's a complicated answer, but Yu Sakai and the TBN Trio made their way here by happy coincidence.

Last March, two colleagues and I were in Tokyo to help launch Tiny Desk Japan. One afternoon, we were walking alongside thousands of people through Shibuya Crossing, which might be the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world. Imagine the odds that Nate Smith, a celebrated drummer, was there, too. We bumped right into him, exchanged hellos and then he invited us to see a show he was playing the next evening.

At the WWWX Shibuya, one of Tokyo's best music spaces, we were mesmerized by the performance of these four musicians. Takeshi Ohbayashi is a soulful pianist who is very active on the international jazz scene. Smith, who has a Tiny Desk of his own, is one of my favorite jazz drummers playing today. Bassist Ben Williams, another Tiny Desk alumnus, is a D.C. native who's played with the likes of Pat Metheny and Lauryn Hill.

And then there's Yu Sakai, whom I discovered that night in Tokyo and became an instant fan. His performance style is so vibrant and his vocal quality is so unique. Sakai loves all kinds of music — J-pop, gospel, R&B and jazz — which he celebrates with an ebullient energy in this Tiny Desk. We think you'll fall in love with him, too. (Suraya Mohamed)

Yu Sakai, vocals, keyboards
Takeshi Ohbayashi, piano
Ben Williams, bass
Nate Smith, drums

Recorded at Power Station Studios in NYC
Produced by Suraya Mohamed

Yu Sakai
Born in Tosashimizu City, Kochi Prefecture.

A singer-songwriter with a one-of-a-kind singing voice and a wide range of musical backgrounds such as SOUL, R&B, JAZZ, gospel, and ROCK.

After graduating from high school, I suddenly woke up to music when I was 18, and moved to Tokyo at the age of 20. At the age of 22, he moved to LA alone and started learning the piano by himself.

Major debut in 2009 with "Story". In addition to his own songs, he has provided music to many artists such as Kyoko Koizumi, Maaya Sakamoto, SMAP, Sexy Zone, Da-iCE, DISH//, Asako Toki, Seiko Niitsuma, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Akiko Wada, and more.

John Scofield(Gt), Ray Parker Jr.(Gt), Bluey from Incognito(Gt), Stuart Zender(Bs ex.Jamiroquai), Terrace Martin(Sax), Nicholas Payton(TP) while traveling around the world since 2018 Realized recording with world-famous players such as Renato Neto (Key).

In the second half of 2023, she sang the theme song "Happy ☆ Boogie" for the TV drama "Boogie Woogie" with EGO-WRAPPIN's Yoshie Nakano and the lead actress Shuri, which became a big hit. In December of the same year, she released her first best album "Sakai Yu's Playlist [White and Black]".

This album contains no booklet.