Senior Airman Kai Logan Hammond is a saxophonist with the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific, Yokota Air Base, Japan. He serves as Music Director for several ensembles and contributes to the unit’s photography and visual media efforts.
Airman Hammond entered the Air Force in October 2021 and began his career with the Band of the Golden West at Travis AFB, California, where he served as a videographer, photographer, and video editor.
He earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University in 2018 and a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Florida State University in 2020. During his academic career, he performed and toured with numerous internationally renowned jazz artists, including Kenny Barron, Anat Cohen, Rufus Reid, Conrad Herwig, and Harvey Mason. He performed as a sideman in ensembles led by Leon Anderson, Scotty Barnhart, and Bob Dogan. He also led his own Florida-based ensemble, the Kai Hammond Quartet, and played saxophone with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. His recording credits include sessions with Parliament Funkadelic members Fred Wesley and George Clinton.
EDUCATION
2018 Bachelor of Music, Jazz Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
2020 Master of Music, Jazz Studies, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. December 2021 – July 2023, Saxophonist, Band of the Golden West, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
2. July 2023 – Present, Saxophonist, Band of the Pacific, Yokota Air Base, Japan
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Air and Space Achievement Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Basic Military Training Honor Graduate Ribbon
Air and Space Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman First Class Dec. 2, 2021
Senior Airman Feb. 12, 2024
(Current as of January 2026)