Saori Yano (born in 1986, from Tokyo, Japan) is an alto saxophone player. She has played alto saxophone since she was 9 years old. Charlie Parker inspired her to play jazz, and she was impressed by Billy Holiday's autograph when she was 14 years old. Later, she cast herself in a jazz club and started to perform on stage afterward. She was 16 years old when she made her debut that got a great deal of attention as a second Japanese artist from the jazz prestige record label “SAVOY” on September 2003.T.V Asahi company also featured her music in the program " Houdou Station" as theme song and this made widely to known to all public about the advent of a Jazz new generation.
When she performed together with Jimmy Cobb, who is well known for his performances with Miles Davis on his 3rd Album “SAKURA STAMP” during his release tour at Blue Note, he admired her performance as the “Japanese Cannonball Adderley”. Likewise, their performances impressed real jazz audiences during a 2-day long live concert in NY. They also released their 1st live version album.
Furthermore, Saori Yano performed with Dizzy Gillespie’s all star members such as the genius of arrangement, Slide Hampson, who won the Grammy Award twice and James Moody on his 5th Album “Gloovi’n High”. Ever since, she has built a great relationship with James and has had private lessons with him for 2 weeks at his house in CA.
In Spring 2007, she appeared on Kao’s TV commercial as a new Asian beauty. Her original song “I & I” was used this commercial song and when she was 20, her 1st best album contained the song the album won the “THE JAPAN GOLD DISC AWARD Jazz album of the year 2008” award. She garnered attention from a wide range of genres.
In November of the same year, Saori Yano released her 7th album “Little Tiny” with currently the greatest organist Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio. In December 2008 she released “GLOOMY SUNDAY” repertories of revered Billie Holiday, welcoming Neko Saito for song arrangements.
Then she released “BEBOP AT THE SAVOY” in 2010. This album recorded the 50s golden ages and straight ahead jazz music working with energetic musicians who are playing at NY.
In 2012, as the celebration of 10 years from debut, an origin-returning, fan-requested album “Answer” which features Mr. Terumasa Hino, a world-class trumpeter, was released.
In 2015 she released “Bubble Bubble Bebop” an album which is comprised Funky Jazz and Cuba Lain with Bebop basics. It also features Motoharu(ts) and Tabuzonbi(tp), members of SOIL & PINP SESSIONS, and Salsa Swingoza, the grand band of Cuba Latin in Japan led by, a leading percussionist Gen Ogimi.
I gave birth to my eldest daughter in 2017. I gave birth to my second daughter in 2020.
In June 2022, she started her own project "House of Jaxx" in earnest.
SAX is CONN 26M, Strup is ISHIMORI's original, Mouthpiece is SHINJI ISHIMORI's original,
Ligature is ISHIMORI's WoodStone Solid Silber, Reed is ISHIMORI's WoodStone 3 1/2