Saki Kono

Guest Vocalist

Saki liked Jazz since she was a child influenced by her father and his friends. By listening hip new musicians back then, such as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Dinah Washington, Miles Davis; motivated her to study piano, as well as writing music. She played guitar and wrote music when she was a teenager - influenced by all genre of music including Japanese pop, soul music, Beatles, and rock. She felt that the music eased the tense life in Tokyo and relieved her from sadness of her close friends' death. She moved to the US and studied music at Laney College in Oakland, California. She observed many nationally known Jazz Musicians while she lived in San Francisco Bay Area as a student and while working in a financial industry. She then attended The JazzSchool in Berkeley, California where she got so many inspirations, and blossomed to be an accomplished Jazz musician, a great performer, and CD recording artist. She performs in the US as well as Japan. She sincerely wants people to enjoy Jazz and wants to be a messenger to spread the 'feel' and the inspiration to the whole world.