Dré Matsumoto

Dré Matsumoto (Dre Matsumoto), born André Marcel Wilson on June 21, 1972 is an American-Canadian bassist, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. He is also known as André Marcel Ajamu Akinyele which is used as a writing credit on his works. His music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including jazz, jazz fusion, and jazz-funk, hip hop and electronic music. As Ajamu Akinyele, along with his band Gemini Soul, he has received significant critical acclaim with his music being featured on major network television shows and performing at some of the top jazz venues around the world. He also has been credited for creating the term “Cyber Jazz”. 

Biography

Matsumoto was born André Marcel Wilson in San Pablo, California, USA, to DJ mother Gloria Jones and musician father Issac Wilson. He was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he attended the Street Academy Performing Arts School, De Anza High School, and Walter T. Helms Junior High School. Matsumoto adopted his name which means “under the pine tree” in Japanese. In 2004, he changed his birth name André Marcel Wilson to André Marcel Ajamu Akinyele to reflect more of an African heritage and to honour his grandmother (after her passing) in pursuing jazz under the name Ajamu Akinyele. Why the name Dré Matsumoto? He stated that “Dré is half my name André, and Matsumoto is a Japanese name that I love the sound of.” 

Career

Matsumoto perfected his skills as a musician while attending Walter T. Helms Junior High School between 1984–1986 in piano class (under the guidance of Mr. S. Martin) where he was designated the Outstanding Musician winner in Music in 1986. He also honed his skills forming and performing in several bands. Let’s fast-forward through his years as Michael Angelo (1989), R&B/funk artist Marcel (1998–2004), jazz/funk artist Ajamu Akinyele (2005–2006), and recording as the renowned bassist of the San Francisco bay area jazz-funk-fusion band Gemini Soul (2006–2015), recording as André Akinyele, recording as the vocalist, guitarist, and bassist for the rock band Looking for Lester (credited as Rebellion), and the vocalist and keyboardist for the electronic duo Lavender Lush (credited as Chambliss Charlie). 

He moved to Japan in March 2024. Matsumoto established his company AJAMU Productions & Creative Services LLC in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan in early December 2024. He released his debut album Patchouli as Dré Matsumoto, the first artist on his label Ajamu Records, in association with AJAMU Productions & Creative Services LLC. This recording featured an upright bass, while staying within the jazz-fusion-funk genre similar to recording artists Ron Carter, Esperanza Spalding, and Christian McBride. 

Patchouli was released to critical-acclaim, reaching #1 on ReverbNation Yokohama Jazz Charts for its first week. The album spawned the singles “Patchouli,” “Minato Mirai 21,” and “Osaka Dotonbori.” In late 2025, early 2026, he plans to collaborate with other artists on an album titled “Dré Matsumoto & Friends.” The album is meant to raise awareness of the supporting artists themselves but also to keep his name in the ether. Matsumoto is looking forward to playing bass and producing songs on other artists albums, projects, and film soundtracks. 

His song “Osaka Dotonbori” was featured on SoundCloud Discovery Playlist: Chill Gaming on July 19, 2025.

Personal life

Dré Matsumoto moved to Canada in December 2016 and became a Canadian Citizen in January 2023. He holds both US and Canadian dual citizenship. He moved to Yokohama, Japan in March 2024 and became a Japanese resident in May 2024. Matsumoto currently resides between both Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.   

Discography

Albums

Patchouli, Released June 27, 2025

Singles

Minato Mirai 21 (Robot) [Alternate Mix], Released July 18, 2025

Osaka Dotonbori Remixes, Released August 8, 2025

Hai Dozo (Jazz Funk Mix), Released October 3, 2025