saki@japo

Saki Aihara is a working musician from Japan. After years of taking organ lessons, she received a tenor saxophone part for the high school brass orchestra.

She studied classical music at Tamagawa University Tokyo, during her college life playing classical solo tunes with her alto saxophone, she met improvisation on especially reggae, ska, rocksteady music, which are generally placed as original Jamaican music from the 60’s. She switched back to tenor saxophone, started playing numerous gigs with ska bands and jazz influenced pop bands when she wasn’t at the campus.

After her college graduation, she moved to New York Fall of 2004. Since then, she has had many opportunities to perform with core musicians at many musical venues.

Saki appeared on a Manhattan cable access television show “Checkerboad Kids” and performed with a member of Skatalites, Kevin Batchelor. She has played with the likes of NY based rock band “Simon & The Bar Sinisters”, early Jamaican ska band “Scorchers”, roots reggae band “Konga - I”, “Joe DeVita and the Main Ingredients” featuring the creative recording artist Joe DeVita, hip hop band “p.i.c”, funk jazz hip hop band “Boom Bits” and Japanese girls punk funk band “Sakura Madams”.

Saki is a unique composer specializing in nostalgic sound which mixes reggae and dub music. One of her compositions is used for the independent movie “Assassin”, directed by Devin E. Haqq (2008).

Also, she recorded for electronic dub project “Dub Engine” (2007) and New York based rock band “Jack Loads” (2007).

Saki is also an audio engineer, doing recording, mixing music and podcasts as a freelancer and also doing live sound at a club in New York.