Kazeem Dairo (also known as Dairo, formerly Kazeem Elebute) is a producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. Originally from Oakland, he comes from a traditional jazz training while always have being influenced by the vibrant culture of the Bay Area. Being a first-generation student and professional, he also carries a unique family inheritance: his grandfather was Nigerian jùjú pioneer I.K. Dairo.
Dairo works across writing, arranging, tracking, and mixing. He produced, arranged, and co-wrote "Go Bravely" for Suede Avery, and recently produced and arranged the upcoming single "Made For" by Altea Ali (dropping October 2026). In cinema, he scored and mixed the independent short Rebirth (directed by Sean Guzman) and composed/produced the score for Ten Minutes to Curtain (directed by Matias Lievano). He also served as a musical director for USC's Artscape showcase, arranging and conducting live performances across genres and scoring multiple short films for the festival. His session tracking credits reach overseas as well, contributing trombone tracks to Japanese funk group Oh Kappa Funk’s album Home, recording with Sadie on Tantrum!!!, and keys for Jordyn Diew’s Drowning In Thoughts.
His live credits have put him in heavy company . In 2023, he earned one of four nationwide trombone chairs in Carnegie Hall’s NYO Jazz orchestra, touring Europe with Dee Dee Bridgewater after a debut at Carnegie itself. Back home, he’s played behind Queen Latifah at the LA Coliseum for the America250 show, joined John Clayton on stage with the USC Honors Combo, and performed Maria Schneider’s compositions with Schneider herself conducting the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra. When Ambrose Akinmusire put together his commissioned piece Isakoso Ara and his Monterey Jazz Festival tribute to Oumou Sangaré, he called Dairo join the band. Years before that, Dairo was already on major soundstages, tracking trombone at Skywalker Sound for Pixar’s Soul.
Behind the board, he holds certifications in both Pro Tools and Dante. He’s logged hours engineering at Top Dawg Entertainment and Squeak E. Clean Studios, as well as being pro audio technician at USC Thornton, keeping campus rooms running and tracking school sessions. He also runs the desk for USC Annenberg’s Live From The Halo series, mixing live multi-mic sets under weekly broadcast turnarounds.
Currently finishing his Jazz Studies and Music Production degree at USC, Dairo studies and develops work under a close group of mentors: Vince Mendoza, Patrice Rushen, Greg Phillinganes, Makeba Riddick-Woods, Christian Amonson, and Jon Hatamiya. For Dairo, the work always comes back to something Rushen shared with him early on: it isn’t about trying to play or do everything—it’s about knowing what the song actually needs, and getting out of the way to make it happen.