Yoshihide Otomo (大友 良英 Ōtomo Yoshihide?, born August 1, 1959 in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, located in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshū and is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A multi-instrumentalist is a Musician who plays a number of different instruments The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument
He first came to international prominence in the 1980s as the leader of the noise rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz and contemporary classical. Noise rock (also known as noise punk) describes one variety of Post-punk Rock music that became prominent in the 1980s Ground Zero was an improvised experimental Noise rock band during the 1990s led by Otomo Yoshihide that had a large and rotating group of performers Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s involved in many cases the musicians make Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to a period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. He is also a pioneering figure in the EAI-scene, and is featured on important records on labels like Erstwhile Records. Erstwhile Records is an Independent record label devoted to Free improvisation, particularly the electroacoustic variety He plays guitar, turntables, and electronics. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.
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Biography
Early life and career
Otomo studied at the Meiji University from 1979, where he studied ethnomusicology, concentrating on the Japanese pop music of World War II and the development of musical instruments during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. is a Private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, founded in 1881 by three emerging lawyers of the Meiji Era Tatsuo Kishimoto, Kozo This article is about the concept For the society and academic journal see Society for Ethnomusicology. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into Samples of instruments and music from this period are found in several of his works.
He played in rock bands while at college, but turned to improvisation after discovering free jazz and free improvisation musicians like guitarist Derek Bailey, saxophonist Kaoru Abe and guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi (from whom he took lessons). For the Ornette Coleman album after which this genre was named see Free Jazz A Collective Improvisation. Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s involved in many cases the musicians make Derek Bailey ( January 29, 1930 – December 25, 2005) was an English avant-garde Guitarist and leading figure in the Kaoru Abe (阿部薫 ( May 3, 1949 - September 9, 1978) was a Japanese Free jazz alto saxophonist who generally played solo Masayuki 'Jojo' Takayanagi (高柳昌行 (1932 - 1991 was a Japanese Jazz / Free improvisational musician
In 1981, Otomo began improvising in clubs (Jazu Kissa), performing on guitar and also using tapes and electronics.
Ground Zero
For much of the 1990s his main project was Ground Zero, a large group founded in 1990 with an ever-changing lineup. Ground Zero was an improvised experimental Noise rock band during the 1990s led by Otomo Yoshihide that had a large and rotating group of performers They played music in a variety of styles, perhaps best described as noise rock with an experimental edge and a heavy emphasis on sampling. Noise rock (also known as noise punk) describes one variety of Post-punk Rock music that became prominent in the 1980s In Consume Red (1997), for example, a sample of Korean musician Kim Suk Chul playing the hojok is continuously repeated throughout the single hour-long track while the band improvise around it, becoming louder, and eventually swamping the sample out. The taepyeongso (lit "big peace wind instrument" also called hojok, hojeok, nallari, or
Filament
Ground Zero was disbanded in 1998. Towards the end of that group's life, Otomo formed two electronic free improvisation groups: Filament with Sachiko M, and I. Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s involved in many cases the musicians make Filament is a Musical group consisting of Otomo Yoshihide and Sachiko M, two of the major exponents of Electroacoustic improvisation style of Sachiko Matsubara, who usually records as Sachiko M, is a Japanese Musician, but she considers herself to be a "non-musician" S. O. with Sachiko M and Yoshimitsu Ichiraku. Sachiko Matsubara, who usually records as Sachiko M, is a Japanese Musician, but she considers herself to be a "non-musician" These groups abandoned the frenetic postmodern pastiche of Ground Zero, and emphasized small gestures and low volume. Ground Zero was an improvised experimental Noise rock band during the 1990s led by Otomo Yoshihide that had a large and rotating group of performers The music contained no samples, being made of sine waves and electronic clicks and hums. Though he continued using turntables, Yoshihide largely stopped using gramaphone records as a sound source, instead manipulating the turntable itself with a wide variety of objects and contact microphones. A gramophone
New Jazz Ensemble
At the end of the 1990s he founded Ōtomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble, a group that played more traditional jazz (albeit with added sine waves from Sachiko M and noisy passages), which released Flutter and Dreams on the Tzadik label. Tzadik Records is a Record label based in New York City specialising in Avant-garde and Experimental music. In Japan, a more consistent lineup of the group, using the name Ōtomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet, has released ONJQ LIVE (2002), a collaboration with Tatsuya Oe (Captain Funk) entitled ONJQ+OE (2003), and Tails Out (2003). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Tatsuya Oe is a Japanese electronic music producer club DJ and label impresario known for a flair in alternating between some abstract experimentation and more pop-oriented Tatsuya Oe is a Japanese electronic music producer club DJ and label impresario known for a flair in alternating between some abstract experimentation and more pop-oriented 2005 saw a release credited to the Ōtomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra, his largest group thus far.
Other works
Ōtomo has also released duo albums with early experimental turntablist Christian Marclay (Moving Parts, 2000) and another Japanese electronic musician, Nobukazu Takemura (Turntables + Computers, 2003). Christian Marclay (born 1955 is an American Visual artist and Composer based in New York. Nobukazu Takemura (竹村延和 Takemura Nobukazu) is a Japanese musician whose style has run from Jazz to house to Drum and bass to Chamber
Records released under his own name include Cathode (1999), which includes pieces that are sine wave-based or made from samples, and Anode (2001), a group improvisation where the players are constrained by certain pre-determined rules (similar in some respects to John Zorn's game pieces). John Zorn (born September 2 1953 in Queens, New York City) is an American Avant-garde Composer, arranger, Record Featured in both pieces are Gagaku instruments, such as the sho, futozao-shamisen, and koto. Gagaku (ja [[wiktionary雅 雅]][[wiktionary楽 楽]] literally "elegant music" is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court The is a Japanese free reed Musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara period. The shamisen or samisen ( Japanese: 三[[wiktionary 味|味]] 線, literally "three flavor strings" also called sangen (literally The koto ( 琴 or 箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed Musical instrument derived from the Chinese Zither ( Guzheng
Ōtomo has worked with Jon Rose, Yamatsuka Eye of Boredoms (as MC Hellshit & DJ Carhouse), Butch Morris, Alfred Harth, Voice Crack, Keith Rowe, Toshimaru Nakamura, Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Hikashu, Philip Jeck, Martin Tétreault, and poire z. Jon Rose (born 1951 is an Australian Violinist. He consistently performs at numerous music festivals and has appeared on over 60 albums and worked with artists such real name, born 1964 in Kobe) is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist best known as a member of Boredoms. Boredoms ( (or more recently V∞redoms) is a Noise rock band from Osaka, Japan. MC Hellshit & DJ Carhouse is a collaboration project between Japanese artists Yamantaka Eye (MC Hellshit best known as a member of Boredoms, and experimental Lawrence D "Butch" Morris (b Long Beach, California, February 10, 1947) is an American Jazz Cornetist Alfred 23 Harth is a German Multimedia artist band leader musician and composer who mixes genres in a polystylistic manner Voice Crack was a Swiss electronic Free improvisation group Formed in the late 1972 by Andy Guhl and Norbert Möslang Voice Crack were initially a Keith Rowe (born March 16, 1940 in Plymouth, England) is an English Free improvisation Guitarist and painter. Toshimaru Nakamura is a Japanese musician active in Free improvisation and Japanese onkyo. Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem John Zorn (born September 2 1953 in Queens, New York City) is an American Avant-garde Composer, arranger, Record Hikashu (ヒカシュー are a renowned Japanese underground "avant-pop" collective led by pseudo-Kabuki vocalist Makigami Koichi known for their highly experimental Philip Jeck (born 1952 is an English multimedia composer and choreographer poire_z (pronounced "pwar-zed" was an electronic Free improvisation Ōtomo was also part of an Australian / Japanese industrial outfit called Peril. Peril were a Japanese/Australian industrial band operating throughout the early 1990s
There is also an album by Kenny Millions & Otomo Yoshihide, Without Kuryokhin, released in 1998 and dedicated to the memory of Russian jazz and experimental musician Sergey Kuryokhin. Details Dedication In memory of Russian jazz and experimental musician Sergey Kuryokhin. Sergey Kuryokhin (Сергей Анатольевич Курёхин other spellings include Sergei Kuriokhin, Sergei Kurekhin, Sergueï Kouriokhine Sergey
External links
- Page at japanimprov.com
- Comprehensive discography
- An interview is available at: http://www.furious.com/perfect/otomo.html
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- Multiple Otomo CD/DVD review at Grooves Magazine
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