Ochs studied trumpet briefly but concentrated on tenor and sopranino saxophones. He worked as a record producer and founded his own label, Metalanguage Records in 1978, in addition to operating the Twelve Stars studio in California. He co-founded the Rova Saxophone Quartet and worked in Glenn Spearman's Double Trio. A frequent recipient of commissions, he composed the music for the play Goya's L.A. by Leslie Scalapino in 1994 and for the film Letters Not About Love, which was named best documentary at SXSW in 1998. He has played in a new music trio called Room and the What We Live ensemble. He has recorded several albums as a leader.[1] He formed the group Kihnoua in 2007 with vocalist Dohee Lee and Scott Amendola on drums and electronics,[2] which released Unauthorized Caprices in 2010.[3]
He was married to poet Lyn Hejinian until her death in 2024.
