Music
Ryo Kawasaki is a jazz fusion guitarist, composer and band leader from Tokyo, Japan. Kawasaki is best known as one of the first musicians to develop and popularise the fusion genre. Secondly he helped to develop the guitar synthesizer in collaboration with Roland Corporation and Korg. His album Ryo Kawasaki & the Golden Dragon Live was one of the first all digital recordings. An extremely warm reception greeted NuNorthern Soul's debut EP of Ryo Kawasaki music. The label's Phat Phil Cooper has decided upon a follow up. Ryo Kawasaki made over 25 albums in his almost five decade long career. There's plenty of Ryo Kawasaki's music to choose from. Once again, Phil Cooper has chosen to concentrate on Kawasaki's mid 1970s to early 1980s period. It is a time which saw the guitarist living in New York. Surrounded at the time by and often playing alongside some of the finest jazz players of the era. Therefore, it was a time of much experiment with jazz music and few things propel Ryo Kawasaki more than experimentation. His mid 1970s period saw him explore what was to become known as jazz fusion music. A sometimes heavy-sounding variation, wild with revolutionary, new electronic sounds and steeped in funk and rock influences. From that period Kawasaki lead several album projects and the band Golden Dragon. On these recordings Ryo Kawasaki's famous, personally modified guitar synthesizer really comes to the fore.