Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

Because he played only in Las Vegas from the ’60s to the ’80s, Carl Saunders may be the best trumpeter you’ve never heard of. Fellow trumpeter and bandleader Tetsuya Tatsumi seeks to rectify this situation by inviting him to Japan for a string of dates around Tokyo with his big band and quintet. A master technician, Saunders backed the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra in Vegas before relocating to LA and debuting in 1996 with Out Of The Blue.

Carl Saunders
LA-based jazz trumpeter tours with bandleader Tetsuya Tatsumi. Oct 22, 7:30 & 9:15pm; Oct 24, 6:30 & 8:15pm, ¥4,000. Akasaka B-Flat. Tel: 03-5563-2563. Oct 23, 7:30 & 9:30pm, ¥4,000. Chofu Sakuranbo. Tel: 042-488-0626. Oct 25, 6:30pm, ¥3,000. Shin-Okubo Space Do. Tel: 03-3361-2211. Oct 26, 7:30 & 9:15pm, ¥4,000. Jazz Spot J, Shinjuku. Tel: 03-3354-0335.