Kitaro
Stunning Japanese New Age music almost guarenteed to "take you away"
Scroll down past the album listings for a history of the Man .
Long recognized as one the most acclaimed recording artists in the Orient, Kitaro has always taken his music far beyond the borders of his native Japan. He has reached millions of people on every continent with his stellar recordings.
This two disc set features the best of Kitaro from 1976-1986. It features music from his best selling albums during this period including Silk Road, Oasis, India, Millenia, Ki, Tunhuang and Silver Cloud. Realize this original and universal soul who has become the master of the wordless lyric and experience the peace and harmony of this collection. Writers have hinted at the healing properties of his ‘Sound Pictures’ and Kitaro has acknowledged that his purpose is to calm the inner person: "the wars in the world don’t come from outer space . . . people create them, people who have a war within themselves. I want to create music that eases that war within". |
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Created, composed and performed as the backdrop to the Broadway production, Cirque Ingenieux, Kitaro soundtrack is a moving auditory experience in the European Cirque tradition. Set at the turn of the century, ‘Cirque Ingenieux’ is a story of a girl who falls in love with a single ring circus. Returning to the empty tent later that night, she discovers a magical display of performance artistry told through visual musical effects.
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From the opening chant of the Yakushiji monks, it is apparent that this is going to be a special offering from Kitaro. The legendary World Music pioneer’s latest album is a two-CD set recorded over three evenings in the sacred Yakushiji Temple in the ancient Japanese capital, Nara. Live in Yakushiji is a broad and deep journey, to inner realms as well as exotic earthly destinations.
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Co-produced by Grateful Dead drummer, Mickey Hart, The Light of the Spirit blends cinematic melodies and images from nature to explore spiritual aspects of the life cycle. Featuring an ensemble of musicians and digitally remastered tracks, The Light of the Spirit is an enthralling exploration of melodic imagery and includes the Grammy nominated song, ‘The Field’.
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Kitaro was born in February 4, 1953 as Masanori Takahasri) in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, as the son of shintoistic farmers. His pseudonym "Kitaro" was given later by friends because of a Japanese television cartoon character, "Kitaro".
Early life
In Highschool he loved Soul and Rhythm & Blues. He learned to play E-Guitar and performed with his band "Albatross" at parties and in clubs. His biggest influence in this time was Otis Redding. "Rhythm and blues has a kind a depth, emotions how can I say it? The audience feels something like same kind of emotions from my music. My music is not rhythm and blues, but it feels like soul."
In the early '70s he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the band "Far East Family Band" and toured with them around the world. In Europe he met the German synthesizer musician and Tangerine Dream cofounder Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for the use of synthesizers.
In 1976 he left the band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India).
Solo career
Back in Japan Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. But it was his famous soundtrack for the NHK series "Silk Road" which brought him the international attention.
He struck a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1986; in 1987 he collaborated with different musicians, e.g. with Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and Jon Anderson (Yes) and his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide. He was nominated twice for a Grammy and his soundtrack (for the movie "Heaven & Earth") won a 1994 award for best original score. His biggest musical success was the Grammy Award 2001 for his album Thinking of You.
Personal life
Kitaro is a star, but he is very modest. "Nature inspires me. I am only a messenger", he said. "To me, some songs are like clouds, some are like water". Since 1983 his reverence for nature leads Kitaro to annually give thanks to Mother Nature in a special "concert" on Mount Fuji or near his house in Colorado. On the day of the full moon of August he beats on the Taiko drum from dusk to dawn. Frequently his hands become bloodied, but he continues to pound.
From 1983 till 1990 he was married with his first wife Yuki Taoka. Yuki is a daughter of Kazuo Taoka, godfather of Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest Yakuza syndicate. Kitaro and Yuki have a son, Ryunosuke, who lives in Japan. They separated because Kitaro worked most time in the United States while she lived and worked in Japan. In the middle of the 1990s Kitaro married Keiko Matsubara, a musician who played on several of his albums. With her and her son Kitaro lives in Ward, outside Boulder, Colorado (USA) on a 180 acre (730,000 m²) spread and composes in his 2500 square foot (230 m²) home studio "Mochi House" (it is large enough to hold a 70 piece orchestra) his latest songs.
---Wikipedia
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