Artist Profile: Ron Cyger – Alto and Soprano Sax, Flute, Clarinet
Ron started off playing accordion in the 3rd grade (ugly little secret comes out!), but quickly switched to clarinet the next year. After all, it’s much easier carrying a clarinet case then an accordion case to school.
He grew up near Pasadena, CA, the oldest of three siblings. While still in grammar school, Ron had a conflict; both the Boy Scouts and music conservatory met at the same time. Ron chose music and never looked back.
In high school, Ron played clarinet with the marching and symphonic band, wind ensemble, and orchestra. But he really loved playing in the pit of the annual musical. His senior year, a new band director started a jazz band and Ron picked up the sax.
After high school Ron attended Pasadena City College where he got to study with Gary Foster and Dirk Fisher (Clare Fisher’s brother). He eventually received his bachelor’s degree in Philosopy and Music from California State University, Los Angeles. While at PCC, he began studying Jazz with Don Ferrera, a former student of Lennie Tristano.
In the early ‘80s, Ron went on the road with a Bette Midler tribute band and spent a year playing throughout the western United States and Canada. The band eventually worked its way back to the Los Angeles area for the holidays, and Ron thought it was a good time to move on.
While building back up his musical contacts, He started training and racing in triathlons. But, one morning while getting dressed, Ron broke out in a sweat that soaked through his clothes, and that’s about all he remembers. He was told that when he went to the doctor that morning, he needed a wheel chair to enter the office, and was misdiagnosed with motion sickness. Ron didn’t improve that day and was rushed to the hospital.
He had suffered a stroke caused by an arteriovenous malformation. A weak spot in a vein had ballooned and burst impacting his left side, speech, and both gross and fine motor skills. He spent a month in the hospital and a year in rehab. Both sax playing and training for triathlons had strengthened Ron’s cardio system and the doctor’s said this is what saved his life. A year after the stroke, Ron gained enough fitness back to race a triathlon, but his music career was over, or so he thought.
Ron no longer had the coordination or ability to play a musical instrument, so he changed his life direction and entered into public service. He earned a Masters degree in Public Administration and had a 30-year career with the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Near the end of his career, and 30 years after the stroke a friend picked up the saxophone for the first time in his 50s. This inspired Ron and he started to play sax in jazz combos and relearn the clarinet and flute. A few years later he was one of the founding members of Angela O’Neill’s Outrageous8 (many of whom are still with the band years later).
Besides recording many albums with the Angela O’Neill and the Outrageous8, you can hear Ron with the Green Street Jazz Quartet, Live at the Myrtle Tree released in 2019; and with Brent Butterworth, Take2, released in 2021 and produced by Outrageous8 Records. All recordings can be purchased at AngelaMaeONeill.com or streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.