Famous Japanese saxophonists
How familiar are you with saxophone players active in Japan?
While overseas saxophonists often get most of the attention, Japan also has a wealth of outstanding musicians!
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of players—from superstars who have led the scene for many years to younger musicians who’ve been attracting attention in recent years.
We’re highlighting artists not only from the jazz and fusion worlds, but also those active in classical and pop scenes.
You might even discover the sax player who performed on one of your favorite songs.
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Famous Japanese saxophonists (61–70)
LIFEKayukawa Natsuki
The video is a promotional clip for the album “LIFE,” so you can hear a digest of the tracks included.
She’s a female alto sax player known for her smooth, translucent tone, and many of the pieces have a gentle, soothing atmosphere throughout!
In a dreamshimizu yasuyuki
Yasuaki Shimizu is a saxophonist who has been active since the late 1970s.
A versatile musician, he not only plays the saxophone but also sometimes showcases his singing as a vocalist.
Unbound by genre, he has taken on a wide range of musical styles and produced numerous works.
In addition to his role as a performer, he has been energetically involved in songwriting and production for other artists, contributing to many projects both in Japan and abroad.
In sweet delightYoshida Mitsuri
Atsusato Yoshida is a saxophonist born in 1975.
His musical career began when he started piano at age five, and he took up the saxophone at fourteen.
With a classical background, he continues to perform numerous classical pieces in a duo format with piano.
He also plays jazz and pop, thriving across genres.
Experience his concerts where, switching between alto and soprano saxophones depending on the piece, he performs with a luscious tone.
Paradise Has No Bordersakanakun
Mr.
Sakana-kun, who holds the titles of Visiting Associate Professor and Honorary Doctor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, is also active as a TV personality thanks to his distinctive character and vast knowledge.
Many people may know him from his collaboration with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
There’s a famous anecdote that he first got into music in junior high school after mistakenly joining the brass band club thinking it was the “aquarium club”—a story that reminds us that people who master something approach everything with sincerity.
He is a saxophone player recognized by professionals as well, taking part every year as a special guest in the Brass Jamboree, a mass ensemble event for wind instrument enthusiasts.
Dreaming CindyChīpu Hiroishi
Hiroishi Cheap’s saxophone performance of “Dreaming Cindy” has a sound that makes your chest tighten and your heart want to take flight.
When you feel tired, I hope you’ll listen without thinking about anything.
He’s a true talent who has also joined live tours of Sadao Watanabe, one of Japan’s leading saxophonists.
Georgia On My MindIde Shinji
Alto saxophone player Shinji Ide, who is active in various bands including The Shocking.
In the video, he performs the standard number “Georgia On My Mind,” and the highlight is his emotionally rich, almost screaming performance that makes full use of techniques like growling and altissimo.
Asamoto Chika
During her college years, Asamoto went to a university in Los Angeles as an exchange student, where she encountered jazz and picked up the saxophone.
While working part-time at a jazz club, she received a letter of recommendation, entered Berklee College of Music, and later, in 1988, debuted as Japan’s first professional female saxophonist.
Her expansive, free-flowing tone is truly appealing.
Asamoto was previously married to, and later divorced from, Masaki Ueda.
In 2008, she remarried a Japanese painter, and together they now live in Bali, Indonesia, where she continues her work with a sense of freedom.
