ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Akira Satake

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AKIRA SATAKE performs on the Lakeside stage on Saturday May 10th @ 1140pm EST. (See full schedule HERE)

THE STORY: AKIRA SATAKE first discovered the banjo through his older brother 's Flatt and Scruggs recordings while growing up in Osaka, Japan. After relocating to New York City in his early 20's he spent two decades honing his innovative banjo style in venues from Village clubs to Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He went on to master the shamisen (Japanese banjo) in his own original style, and has made it an important part of his repertory. Satake garnered international attention with his collection of original compositions, "Cooler Heads Prevail," and shared the 1998 German Music Critics ' Award for Best World Music Recording with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale, Hazel Dickens, Andy Statman, and Tony Trischka. He's produced award-winning CDs for Tim O 'Brien, Mamadou Diabate, Johnny Cunningham, and flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez. American banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka calls Satake "a brilliant banjoist with a split-level passion for the fiery breakdowns of southern Appalachia and the kaleidoscopic rhythms and melodies of World Music.


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