I think I was listening to some Maneli Jamal when YouTube suggested I listen to somemusic by a young Japanese man named Kent Nishimura. He was really amazing, and when I read his story on his website and discovered the kid will only turn 18 in March, I figured it might be a good idea to feature him on an upcoming Monday, which happens to be today.
His biography says that he started playing the guitar when he was five. After about a year, he heard the music of Kotaro Oshio, another Japanese fingerstyle player, and decided right then that he wanted to emulate Oshio. In the short period of time since he made that declaration, he’s managed to record three albums and a couple of singles.
You’ll notice that the nails on his right hand are filed to a point, which gives him better control and tone when he plays. I haven’t figured out whether they’re false nails or his own, but I guess that’s not important. He can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. Without further ado, here’s Kent Nishimura.
Here are the songs Kent covers, along with who did them originally.
- Toto, "Africa"
- Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., "Just The Two Of Us"
- Norah Jones, "Don’t Know Why"
- Tears For Fears, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"
- Foreigner, "Waiting For A Girl Like You"
- Michael Jackson, "Rock With You"
- George Michael, "Careless Whisper"
- Earl Klugh, "Living Inside Your Love"
- Anita Baker, "Sweet Love"
- "Fly Me To The Moon"
I am really impressed with the way he plays, and I hope you’ve enjoyed him enough to go listen to more. That’s Monday’s Music Moves Me for February 8, 2021.
Monday’s Music Moves Me is sponsored by Cathy, Alana, and Stacy, so be sure and visit them, where you can also find the Linky for the other participants.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
Thanks for the introduction, John – he’s fabulous! And so young! :)
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Pretty incredible stuff. He did all the arranging himself, too…
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My late father in law was a professional musician (playing several instruments, including keyboard and guitar) and gave guitar lessons in the evening. I wish he could have seen these videos. I don’t play instruments so can’t comment on his technical skills, except I noticed he has long fingers. It’s interesting how musical talent shows up at such a young age. I don’t usually enjoy guitar solos of rock songs all that much but this young man is good with capital letters.
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I was surprised to learn he was as young as he is. He must work for hours to get that sound and to get that many notes in. His youth makes him all the more amazing…
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John,
I apologize. I came by earlier this morning, clicked play and listened while doing other things. But…I forgot to comment. So, I’m replaying your playlist again. I really like this guy and this music is perfect for this gray winter day. Thanks for joining the 4M dance floor, my friend!
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No problem. He’s good, isn’t he?
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Very nice
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Glad you liked it!
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This is almost totally off the subject, but I once saw a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas who had the finger nail on his left little finger filled sharp just the above picture shows. Any ideas why???
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Someone once told me that the long fingernail was for snorting cocaine. That’s all I can imagine. Or maybe he just did it to be different.
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Wow, that’s really cool! I may have to check him out!
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Glad you like him! Amazing what you can find on YouTube…
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Wowza! Very impressive!
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I knew he was young, just not how young.
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Holy smokes, what a great musician! He truly has it in his soul and I am always amazed at how young people are when they start playing.
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For a kid to know at 6 what he wanted to play and to do it by 12 (when he released his first album) is some kind of maturity.
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