Stomu Yamash'ta

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

For those who are unfamiliar with his pre-Go work, here's a piece from my recent remastering:
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/xghyfnlt1raa8/

Very nice - thank you!

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

This was well recorded, is there more?

Seems to be difficult to find.

That song is from the 1974 album One By One
a decent album with a solid 20 minutes of real good material

looks like Murray Head and Maxine Nightingale on vocals and probably Gary Boyle on Guitar and Nigel Morris on Drum Kit but I don't think Hugh Hopper is with the band any more at the time of this video

[JJ88]

This was well recorded, is there more?

Seems to be difficult to find.

I'm sure this footage was in the very eccentric Tony Palmer 'history of popular music' mid 70s series All You Need Is Love, and probably filmed for it. This clip is all that was used, though.

[interbellum]

Thank you. I never knew that. I always thought the first digital recording was done later in the decade, like 76 or 77 or something like that.

According to the information on discogs (https://www.discogs.com/Stomu-Yamash...ease/1234517): This release is part of Columbia's audiophile "Master Sonic" series, a "PCM Recording" featuring "Non-distortion cutting."


Looks like Columbia Japan made a CDr: https://www.discogs.com/Stomu-Yamash...elease/9091520

[Miciah]

Trivia: The first side of Floating Music starts with a song called Poker Dice. I was already a fan of the song the first time I saw "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and was surprised to hear it used as part of the soundtrack at the beginning of the movie. It certainly put me in mind to view the film favorably.

[Rarebird]

Just listened to Go and what strikes me on this album is, you hardly hear Stomu Yamash'ta is actualy an outstanding percussion player. Several classical composers, like Aram Katchaturian, Hans Werner Henze and John Cage, have written music for him, because he was supposed to be the only one able to perform it.

[Echoes]

The one to get is Iroha which came out in Japan in 1981. It's his most electronic and ambient album. A double album, I don't believe it ever came out on CD.

[Mascodagama]

I've pre-ordered this and am quite stoked about it:

https://www.soundohm.com/product/sun...om-west-sea-lp

** 500 copies ** Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the first-ever release of 'Sunrise From West Sea', a mesmerising performance by Stomu Yamash'ta accompanied by Jazz pianist Masahiko Satoh (well known for his involvement in the New Herd Orchestra and his 'Belladonna of Sadness' soundtrack) and Taj Mahal Travellers founder Takehisa Kosugi on Electric Violin. The line up, also comprising Hideakira Sakurai on Electric Shamisen, is a spaced-out improvisational soundscape over the two LP sides. Remastered from the original tapes, the album is reissued here for the first time ever on LP and CDd. The LP comes in its beautiful original gatefold artwork with OBI strip, 2 page insert and a new introduction by journalist Paul Bowler.

Stomu Yamash'ta has been hailed as one of the best percussionists in the world by John Cage. Born Tsutomu Yamashita in 1947 in a musical family (his father was the conductor of the Kyoto Philharmonic), he studied at Julliard and Berklee in the 60s where he honed his skills as one of the most gifted percussionists of his generation, playing both modern classical music (Cage, Morton Feldman, Toru Takemitsu...) and improv jazz. In New York, he witnessed the birth of the New Thing revolution led by John Coltrane which had a profound effect on him and decided him to go to pursue his studies at Berklee in Boston.

There he met fellow Japanese musician Masahiko Satoh who was also studying there. Their friendship led to the recording of the landmark album Metempsychosis for Nippon Columbia a few years later. The album released in 1971 consisted in a "composition for percussion and jazz orchestra" that mixed Yamash'ta percussion and Satoh's piano playing with the full-on sound of Toshiyuki Miyama's New Herd Orchestra in a groundbreaking free improvisation. 1971 was also the year Yamash'ta released his highly-acclaimed 'Red Buddha' solo album which was released in Europe and in the US. Inspired by the Metempsychosis experience Yamash'ta set to recreate the flowing energy of the album in a live setting with a smaller line up. Recorded live at Yamaha Hall in Tokyo on April 18, 1971, just a few days after the end of the Red Buddha recording sessions, The all-night concert was recorded in front of an invite-only audience consisting of friends and musicians. Yamash'ta enrolled Satoh on keyboards together Taj Mahal Travellers leader Takehisa Kosugi, whom he'd met through his mentor, Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Hideakira Sakurai on electric shamisen was also added the lineup.

​Edited down to fit two sides of an album that will become 'Sunrise From West Sea', the performance is both hypnotic and ethereal. It starts with Kosugi's distinctive electric violin and develops into a deep, spiritual free form conversation between the four musicians, giving them all the space they need to freely improvise and interact with each other, mixing electronics, percussion, electric organ and shamizen without ever clashing. The interaction alternates between mostly quiet, ambient Eastern meditations and more paced parts, fuelled by Yamash'ta's extraordinary percussion playing. ​Later known for his involvement in soundtracks for Robert Altman's 1972 film Images - collaborating with John Williams - and Nic Roeg's 1976 classic 'The Man Who Fell To Earth,' and also for his foray into fusion with his group Go, Yamash'ta never reached the creativity heard in 'Sunrise From Red Sea' again. The album was recorded during one of the most fertile periods in Japan where such groups as Les Rallizes Denudes and Taj Mahal Travellers and jazz musicians like Masahiko Satoh and Yamash'ta were revolutionising the Japanese music scene. Wewantsounds is pleased to reissue this key album which had oddly never been reissued in fifty years.

[Mister Triscuits]

I've pre-ordered this and am quite stoked about it:

https://www.soundohm.com/product/sun...om-west-sea-lp

Wow, did not know about this album - sounds very far out!

[neuroticdog]

I'm glad they referenced the Altman film "Images".

Not only is it a great, mindbending film but OMG that soundtrack!!!

I think it might be the only film I've seen that has a total Acousmatic based soundtrack. It goes a long way in making the movie a great, and very creepy experience.

I only discovered this fairly recently and it really "made" the movie for me. Unfortunately, I had to keep giving the side eye to my wife who I could just sense that she was going to say "TURN THIS SHIT OFF NOW!!!" imminently.

Thankfully she didn't.

best
Michael

[Enidi]

I wasn't a fan of Go...that's just me...but I have several Stomu Yamashta cds.

Red Budda
Stomu Yamashta..Henze/Takemitsu/Maxwell Davies
Stomu Yamashta and Come To The Edge- Floating Music
Stomu Yamashta's Red Buddha Theatre- The Man From The East

Stomu Yamashta's East Wind- Freedom Is Frightening

Raindog
Iroha Ten/Chi
Iroha Sui
Iroha Ka
Tempest
Sea & Sky

[Munster]

The blurb says: ** 500 copies ** Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the first-ever release of 'Sunrise From West Sea', a mesmerising performance ....

This is incorrect. This is a re-release of an LP put out in 1971.

https://www.discogs.com/master/46143...-West-Sea-Live

Nevertheless, anything put out under Yamashta's name is worth buying. I have my CD pre-order in.

[Mascodagama]

The blurb says: ** 500 copies ** Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the first-ever release of 'Sunrise From West Sea', a mesmerising performance ....

This is incorrect. This is a re-release of an LP put out in 1971.

https://www.discogs.com/master/46143...-West-Sea-Live

Nevertheless, anything put out under Yamashta's name is worth buying. I have my CD pre-order in.

Yeah, they mis-spoke there, though if you read further down the hype they do describe it as a re-release. Original vinyl not an option for most!

[Progbear]

I'm glad they referenced the Altman film "Images".

Not only is it a great, mindbending film but OMG that soundtrack!!!

I think it might be the only film I've seen that has a total Acousmatic based soundtrack. It goes a long way in making the movie a great, and very creepy experience.

I only discovered this fairly recently and it really "made" the movie for me. Unfortunately, I had to keep giving the side eye to my wife who I could just sense that she was going to say "TURN THIS SHIT OFF NOW!!!" imminently.

Thankfully she didn't.

Images is a favorite of mine. It makes a nice companion piece to 3 Women, the Altman film it most closely resembles. Both have that dreamlike quality, and both have extremely weird soundtracks (Images with Yamash’ta’s clangorous percussion effects, and 3 Women with all that flute!). The latter has more of an undercurrent of comedy (although largely at the expense of Shelley Duvall’s rather pathetic character, and the comedy drains out in the second half. Man, Sissy Spacek could be creepy, couldn’t she?).

[Enidi]

I love his particular version of "Wind Words" on the Tempest soundtrack. I thought it to be a bit strange how he sort of left everything behind and entered a temple . He resurfaced with Ceremonial music about a year later...but to me it sounded like dark Electronic Music.

Then he released Sea & Sky...the Tempest soundtrack and started getting a bit jazzy again in sections of his music. Then by the 90s he was doing strictly Ceremonial Music.

I can't recall when he was a student at Berkeley School Of Music..but it seemed like after getting a degree he headed straight for England and began working with British musicians who were part of the Progressive Rock movement or Canterbury. He was like a traveler. He released several Progressive Rock albums that contained an Asian style of improvisation combined with British Progressive...then he sort of turned away or let go of that destination as a result of spiritual issues and retreated to a temple.

He was a unique character in the history of Progressive Rock.

[WJK59]

One of the reasons I am here. Never heard of him but this is really good. Something to investigate on a lazy Sunday. Thanks

Used to enjoy drifting off to sleep to this one. Very spacey and nicely recorded...

[begnagrad]

An amazing and rare interview

http://www.listentotheworld.net/huma...from-the-east/

And his incredible life, Julliard, classical performances, how he briefly went prog, all well documented, all you never knew

http://furious.com/perfect/stomuyamashta.html

[Enidi]

An amazing and rare interview

http://www.listentotheworld.net/huma...from-the-east/

And his incredible life, Julliard, classical performances, how he briefly went prog, all well documented, all you never knew

http://furious.com/perfect/stomuyamashta.html

Great information!

[Mascodagama]

Here’s a worthwhile piece:

https://thequietus.com/articles/31366-stomu-yamashta

[Scrotum Scissor]

Several classical composers, like Aram Katchaturian, Hans Werner Henze and John Cage, have written music for him, because he was supposed to be the only one able to perform it.

Toru Takemitsu was ostensibly the most famous composer in Japan of the day, but he still had to contact Yamash'ta by way of mail because the latter refused to own a telephone. Even when he knew that Toru was attempting to get in touch with him, he didn't really pay attention. That takes balls, at least a bit of principle.

People need to hear Man from the East - his 1973 album with the Red Buddha band, basically a recording of very tight dance-ensemble performances suiting his intimately facceted setup of partly homemade percussions and objects. Aside from a couple of ill-adviced fusion pieces for jazz-rock group, this is - IMO - his finest release as composer, arranger and performer.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Absolutely an amazing rekkid. "Memory of Hiroshima" is one of the most powerfully emotional instrumentals I have ever heard.

[Dan Roth]

Seasons – The Island Albums 1972-1976, 7CD Box Set coming out in July!

• THE FIRST EVER BOXED SET CELEBRATING THE WORK OF STOMU YAMASHTA FOR ISLAND RECORDS BETWEEN 1972 and 1976.
• REMASTERED SET INCLUDING THE ALBUMS ‘FLOATING MUSIC’, ‘THE MAN FROM THE EAST’, ‘FREEDOM IS FRIGHTENING’, ‘ONE BY ONE’, ‘RAINDOG’, ‘GO’ AND ‘GO… LIVE FROM PARIS’.

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/...6-7cd-box-set/

[JKL2000]

^ Must-buy release of the year! (so far, after the Muffins box!) Thanks!

[Enidi]

Seasons looks great...but I have these on cd. I'm more interested in his early period. He released some albums which were more Avant-garde and probably the last of these being Red Buddha, ( not to be confused with Red Buddha Theater , The Man From The East)...

I've never seen any of these on cd. I'll research again..but I'm sure he released at least 3 albums before he even recorded Red Buddha.

I wish his 3 albums from the Iroha series would be released on cd...and Tempest! Iroha-Ka is the darkest Electronic Music I ever heard. Diabolical vibes as such music from a swamp in Hell. Very unique and I love it. I love his writing on Tempest.

How difficult is it to license the music and have it re-manufactured ...like a few thousand copies? Nevermind..it probably won't happen. It's a financial investment risk. I have cdr copies from clean vinyl. I'm lucky to have that.

[JKL2000]

I only have one CD that's in this box, so it's an obvious choice for me.