Takao Fujioka

From the Osaka area of Japan, Takao Fujioka is a graphic artist and jazz advocate in the highest order. In his late twenties he fell in love with jazz. Not only was he smitten with the music and the musical artists, but also with the artwork and the visual artists that produced those legendary album covers. Following a trip to New York in 2007 he was inspired to make jazz-based artwork of his own. Besides becoming a prolific artist in his own right, which includes many album covers, illustrations, and even a showing at the The Jazz Gallery in NYC, Takao has also produced concerts in the Kansai region of Japan. He has run a record label and even started a free monthly jazz magazine called Way Out West: which recently celebrated it's 13th year anniversary.