BIOGRAPHY

Megumi Otani is a professional pianist, composer and arranger. She started to play piano and Electone in YAMAHA when she was 3 years old, and started to compose when she was 6 years old. She became a winner of “Japan Junior Electone Competition 2004” when she was the age of 15. Since then, she started her career as a professional musician.

In 2008, she entered Tokyo College of Music. During this time, she studied compositions for small group jazz, big band jazz, movie and advertisement.

After she graduated, her major style became jazz. Currently she has her own band, called “MEGTARO“, since 2015. The members of this group are Megumi Otani (piano) and Kentaro Nakayama (drums). Basically it is piano and drums duo style. It performs member's original songs which are colorful, emotional, and peaceful with using jazz vocabulary and their own way to create ensemble. 1st. Album "Arise" is released in June 2018.

In addition, her style makes her a versatile sideman such as a jazz pianist, a pop, R&B, gospel keyboardist, a recording musician, a composer and an arranger of TV program and advertisement songs, and many others.

Kentaro Nakayama is a professional jazz drummer, based in Tokyo, Japan. Currently he has his own band, called “MEGTARO”, since 2015. The members are Megumi Otani (piano) and Kentaro Nakayama (drums). Basic format of this band is piano and drums duo style. It performs their original songs which are colorful, emotional, and peaceful with using jazz vocabulary and their own way to create ensemble. 1st. Album "Arise" is released in June 2018.

In 2006, Kentaro accepted his scholarship and moved to Boston, M.A. to study jazz and contemporary music at Berklee College of Music. During this time at Berklee, he met many great musicians and began studying with highly acclaimed giants such as Ian Froman, John Ramsey, Mark Walker, Ralph Peterson, Terri Lyne Carrington, Hal Crook and more.

In 2010, Kentaro moved to New York City to start his career as a professional drummer after graduating from Berklee College of Music. He had many opportunities for performing with great artists. During this time, Clarence Penn, top-drawer international drummer and composer, began supporting his efforts on New York’s music scene and became his mentor.

In 2014, he moved back to Japan and started his career as a leader of “MEGTARO”. Currently his style is based on jazz but is flexible so that it becomes him a versatile sideman.

On the other hand, he began to start his career as an educator for all kinds of drumming, especially jazz drumming, with 9 years of experience in U.S.A.