FOR KEYBOARDIST AKAGI, ‘GOOD’ MUSIC’S THE BEST

Keyboardist Kei Akagi was playing Motown favorites last Friday for dancers in a Santa Monica nightspot. Two nights later, he appeared with his quartet at Le Cafe, offering spirited originals that he calls “fusion from the jazz side.” This week, he is working as part of a duo.

“I’ll play just about any kind of music, as long as it’s good,” Akagi, 31, said over a cup of coffee, just before hitting the stage in Santa Monica. “Well, almost any kind. I won’t play classical gigs, since my chops aren’t up, or country and Western, because I have absolutely no background there.”

Akagi, who studied classical music as a boy and later as a teen-ager, is pleased to be getting a variety of assignments, from recording with guitarist Jamie Glaser to playing funk R&B; jobs. Still, his favorite activity is playing spirited contemporary jazz originals with his newly re-formed quartet.

“I organized the group two years ago, but it disbanded after two jobs because I couldn’t afford to keep it together. I try to pay the players (reed-man Bob Shepard, bassist Bob Harrison and drummer Joey Heredia) a reasonable amount of money, and if no one shows up, then it comes out of my pocket.”

Akagi’s alternately steaming and soothing tunes drew a small crowd Sunday at Le Cafe. Part of his problem is a lack of local exposure. “I’m trying to establish myself here,” said Akagi, who’s lived in Los Angeles since 1980. “I have been with (Brazilian jazz notables) Flora (Purim) and Airto (Moreira) for six years, and, as they work a lot, I’d often be out of town six months a year. There’s no way you can become known, or start your own band, if you’re rarely at home.”

Still, touring has had its appeal. Last summer Akagi traveled with Purim and Moreira to Europe for a month, followed by a week in Israel. “That was my second time in Israel,” he said. “We were treated wonderfully, and I had a great time. The people there are starved for good music, and they really respect jazz as an art form. It’s funny--you go outside the United States, and you realize everyone respects jazz.”

Also during the summer, Akagi joined the quartet of award-winning avant-garde flutist James Newton. His verdict: “That was some of the most challenging music I’ve ever played.”

Akagi, who is playing with fellow keyboardist Milcho Leviev at the Comeback Inn on Saturday night, didn’t begin his musical life willingly. Born in Sendai, Japan, he was 5 when he traveled with his family to Cleveland, where his father was studying at Case Western Reserve University.

Classical piano lessons ensued shortly after Akagi’s arrival. “My folks made me do it,” he said, “but I wasn’t into it at all. I practiced maybe a half-hour every other day. But (playing) came to me. I didn’t have to work very hard, and I had an understanding teacher who put up with my laziness.”

When he and his family returned to Japan in 1965, Akagi was allowed to stop piano studies because he had something else to learn: Japanese. “As I was raised in Cleveland, I spoke perfect English but had forgotten what little Japanese I had known as a child,” Akagi said with a roaring laugh. “I could hardly speak it, and I couldn’t read or write at all. So, in order to catch up in school, I had to study endlessly. I often went to sleep at 4 a.m.”

Eventually, a desire to play music returned. “At 14 1/2, I started tinkering at the piano, playing pop music, like the Beatles and TV themes, by ear. I was finally playing for my own enjoyment. Then came an interest in modern classicists, like Prokofiev and Stravinsky. But a friend of mine said I couldn’t really appreciate those greats until I appreciated jazz.

“So I went to a record store, stood in front of the jazz bin, closed my eyes and pulled out an LP. It was a Bud Powell Trio record. I was completely astounded by what I heard. Bud played with so much depth and accuracy and still could swing. I thought the music had to have been written out. Later, when I realized they were improvising, I thought that the ability to play jazz was a superhuman gift. I don’t know, maybe I still feel that way.”