SACO & As It Is
Saco Myoji : Vocal, Mbira, Piano
Michael TA Thompson : Percussion
Sakurako Kataoka : Spoken-word
As It Is Choir: Kashimi Asai, Tomomi Kawai, Fusako Miyaji, Senko Nishimura, Miyoko Sato
Saco Myoji is a Japanese-born, New York-based composer, lyricist, singer, keyboardist, Mbira player and former saxophonist. Her musical experience is wide-ranging: Saco began studying classical piano in early age, later playing in rock, reggae and funk bands in Tokyo; upon moving to New York, she continued her musical journey as a saxophonist, playing Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Jazz and free improvisational music. While leading her own ensembles with the original compositions, Saco also collaborated extensively with dancers, visual artists, filmmakers, poets and other performing artists.
After an eight-year break, Saco began writing and singing original songs around 2016. She blends all of the styles she experienced in the past, weaving them together with the sounds, language and sensibilities of her native Japan. With this new journey, she offers music as a vehicle to express love and gratitude to nature and the universe while involving audiences with a universal sense of oneness and joy in music. Her music has been described as soothing, healing, uplifting and joyful. Her recent addition of kalimba and mbira has expanded her tonal expression.
She released three albums; as a saxophonist, “Another Rain” in 2006, as a singer-songwriter, “AS IT IS is Beautiful” in 2018 and “One Love” in 2022.
The group SACO & As It Is is a unique ensemble with vocal/mbira/piano, percussion, spoken word, and a choir. However, because the choir members do not all having musical backgrounds, they boldly bring challenging improvisational approaches to the music. Their free and easy performing style is gradually drawing attention from the musical community.