Collection: Ryo Kawasaki

Born 25 February 1947 in Tokyo, Japan, Ryo Kawasaki attended Nippon University, majored in quantum physics, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree. Inspired by Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue album at age 16, he began playing professionally by 16 in cabarets with his jazz ensemble. He also built electronic amplifiers, speakers, and an electric organ of his own design. He worked as a sound engineer for Japanese Victor Records and BGM/TBS Music, learning mixing and editing, and taught at Yamaha's jazz school. He recorded his first album Easy Listening Jazz Guitar for Polydor in 1969 aged 22. He moved to New York City in 1973 and settled there. His breakthrough came with The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix (1974). He worked with Chico Hamilton, Elvin Jones, Dave Liebman, Joanne Brackeen, Ted Curson, and Tarika Blue. He released Juice (1976, RCA), Eight Mile Road (1976), and Prism (1976).

He collaborated with Roland Corporation and Korg to develop the guitar synthesizer and created the Kawasaki Synthesizer for the Commodore 64. In the mid-1980s, he moved into music software development and produced techno dance singles, founding his own label Satellites Records. He returned to jazz in 1991 with the acoustic solo album Here, There and Everywhere. Kawasaki died in Tallinn, Estonia, on 13 April 2020, aged 73.