![]() ![]() Only surreal environment-conjuring on one track and musical cross-pollination on another hint at the avant-garde and world music aspects of Sakamoto’s later work. Presaging his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra (which he formed later that year), the record consists of electronic disco, commendably quirky for the time it was recorded but now largely dated, with some unnecessary guitar soloing - the chief guest performance on the disc, since almost everything else was played by Sakamoto. He continued after getting an MFA and, in 1978, released his first solo album, Thousand Knives. Keyboardist Sakamoto did his first session work during his post-graduate studies of electronic and ethnic music at the University of Art of Tokyo in the mid-’70s. The Last Emperor (Virgin Movie Music) 1988.Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne and Cong Su.The Sheltering Sky (Virgin Movie Music) 1991.Aile de Hanneamise Royal Space Force (Japan.Illustrated Musical Encylopaedia (Japan.Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japan.But Neo Geo still sounds like a recipe that’s light on soul. Sakamoto describes his current creative efforts-a melange of Japanese pop, American rock, jazz, contemporary classical music, R&B and various world-music sounds-as “Neo Geo.” Monday’s program suggested that he’s managed to get most of the musical elements in place. ![]() And keyboardist/singer Nicky Holland’s efforts to cover the R&B aspects of the music lacked the spirit and vitality of the album’s Jill Jones. “Rose,” however, one of the album’s best tracks, wilted in the mushy sound, with Sakamoto’s singing a virtual monotone. Three vocalists added piquant touches of Japanese classical-style singing, especially on “Calling From Tokyo.” Interesting moments surfaced from time to time: “You Do Me” managed to generate some rhythmic vigor, and Sakamoto’s solo piano work revealed some provocatively dissonant (if oddly disconnected) harmonic ideas. Sakamoto’s eight-piece ensemble devoted most of the program to a reading of the music from his new album “Beauty.” But the energy, subtlety and feeling of the record virtually disappeared in the cavernous, reverberating sound of the Palace. When composer/actor/pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto was writing portions of the score of “The Last Emperor,” director Bernardo Bertolucci kept telling him to give it “more feeling.”īertolucci should have been around for Sakamoto’s performance at the Palace on Monday to offer similar advice. ![]()
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