Master Sergeant Stanley T. Sakamoto

Master Sergeant Stanley T. Sakamoto, sound and recording engineer, was born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Wahiawa, Hawaii. He graduated from Western Washington University in 1985, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music performance (Trumpet).  He has studied trumpet with Wayne Gorder, Yuon Racy, Mario Guarnerri, Boyd Hood, Roy Poper, Fred Mills, and Bobby Shew. He entered the US Air Force in 1985 at March Air Force Base, CA, performing on Trumpet. In 1990, he was assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Band as a trumpet performer and audio engineer. In 1995, he was assigned to the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia in Tokyo, Japan as an audio engineer. In June 2006 he became a member in the USAF Academy band as an audio engineer.
     While in Europe he was the live Front of house (FOH) engineer for many high level performances to include: North Sea, Montereux, Copenhagen and Leiden Jazz festivals.  He was the FOH and recording engineer for the televised ground breaking performance tour of the USAFE Band with the Red Army Band in England. In 1993 he was the Chief FOH engineer for the first International Jazz festival, featuring the big band “Ambassadors” from the USAFE Band and several Russian all star big bands.  He also was the FOH engineer for all of the headline Jazz vocal performers.
     He was chosen as the FOH engineer for performances in Japan with Steve Smith and the “Vital Information” group, Jon Faddis, Bobby Shew, Eric Miyashiro, and local Japanese celebrity Satomi Sakae. He has also been the FOH engineer in Australia for James and John Morrison. In 2005 he was the FOH engineer for a significant special performance in Thailand with the PACAF Band for a command performance for the King of Thailand, King Rama IX. MSgt Sakamoto’s military decorations include the Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Achievement Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster, and the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with two oak leaf cluster.  He is fluent in both the English and Japanese language and maintains close ties with musicians and engineers alike around the world.