 Kitaro's style is the epitome of the contemplative, highly
melodic synthesizer music often associated with the new-age movement.
Interestingly enough, this famous Japanese composer taught himself to play
electric guitar in high school -- inspired by the R&B music of Otis Redding. In
the early '70s, Kitaro formed the Far East Family Band, which released two
albums of progressive rock. In 1972, however, he met the innovative German
synthesist Klaus Schulze during a trip to Europe. Kitaro was hooked. He built
his first synthesizer and began experimenting with all kinds of unusual sounds.
His first solo album, Astral Voyage, appeared in 1978 and quickly gained a cult
following. Two years later, he produced the first of several soundtracks for
Silk Road, a Japanese television documentary series that ran for five years.
Several albums of music from Silk Road were released to a growing international
contingent of fans who admired his combination of lush, majestic textures and
gentle, almost naive, melodies. Kitaro, however, was still considered an
underground artist in America until he signed with Geffen Records in 1986, which
re-released seven of his earlier albums and gave him the support to expand his
scope in many ways. For instance, after years of creating albums in the privacy
of his home studio near Japan's Mt. Fuji, Kitaro produced his 1987 release, The
Light of the Spirit, with the help of Mickey Hart. The album featured an array
of American musicians and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best New-Age
Performance category. That same year, Kitaro also made his first live tour of
North America and sold two million albums in the U.S. alone.
Kitaro's style had changed as well, becoming more theatrical
and assertive while retaining a certain level of innocence and purity. His more
recent recordings also show a renewed interest in the rock and pop elements that
originally attracted him to music in the late '60s; in 1998, he also released
the soundtrack to Cirque Ingenieux, a production bound for the Broadway stage.
Thinking of You followed a year later; Ancient appeared in spring 2001. It was
well received, leading to a sequel of sorts in the like-minded Ancient Journey
in 2002. His contributions on the soundtrack to the controversial Chinese drama
The Soong Sisters came out the same year, as did a live album and DVD. ~ Linda
Kohanov, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Kitaro for
your next corporate or private event.
|
