Ryoko Ono

Japanese Avant-Garde Saxophonist

Japanese female alto saxophonist and flautist. Born March 17, 1975 in Sapporo, currently resident in Nagoya. Ryoko Ono is a Japanese saxophonist, flutist, composer, and recording artist specializing in improvised music and works for saxophone and electronics.　She plays in a wide range of genres, not only improvised music, but also blues, jazz, progressive rock, noise, and avant-garde music. Her way of playing is consistent throughout all of these styles. It is solid, romantic inter-play. For acoustic sax solos, she uses "circular breathing" and "multi-phonics" to endlessly explore and pursue rich and complex sounds. Additionally she employs electronics for live performance using her own midi system controlled by a foot trigger to alter the sound of her saxophone with various electronic sounds and effects. This exquisite performance is memorable and she is establishing sophisticated style of music.