Yoko Kanno
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| Yoko Kanno | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 19, 1964  Miyagi, Japan |
| Genre(s) | Jazz Classical Orchestral Electronic New Age Blues Folk Rock Electro Rock J-Pop Art Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician, conductor |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboard, piano, accordion |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Associated acts | TETSU100%, The Seatbelts, Samply Red, ORIGA |
Yoko Kanno (菅野 よう子 Kanno Yōko?, born March 19, 1964 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan) is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, seminal anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements. She has written scores for famous animated works, including Macross Plus, Turn A Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, and is the most trusted composer by veteran and new-wave directors such as Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shinichiro Watanabe and Shoji Kawamori.[1] Kanno has also composed music for JPop artists, the most notable being Maaya Sakamoto and Kyoko Koizumi. She is also a skilled keyboardist, and is the frontwoman for The Seatbelts, who perform many of Kanno's compositions on the various original soundtracks for which she is responsible.
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[edit] Biography
Some of Yoko Kanno's most famous soundtrack themes include "Kiseki no Umi" (Lodoss War), "Voices" (Macross Plus), "Tank!" (Cowboy Bebop), "Yakusoku wa Iranai" (Escaflowne), "Gravity" (Wolf's Rain), "Inner Universe" (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and Stand Alone Complex O.S.T . She was the lead member of the project band called The Seatbelts, which regrouped in the year of 2004 to compose the soundtrack of the PlayStation 2 Cowboy Bebop video game, released in Japan in 2005.
She has composed for many Koei games released during the late 1980s to early 1990s and for Napple Tale, a Dreamcast game. Due to her close involvement in the Cowboy Bebop anime, the game released by Bandai also features her work.
Apart from anime and games, Kanno also composes for live-action films and television commercials. Some popular brands she has composed for are Canon, DoCoMo, Fuji Xerox, Seven-Eleven, Microsoft, Nissan, Toyota, Shiseido, Avon, and Master Card to name a few. Grand Funk Inc. is her recording studio of choice in producing for these two media. Contributions to films started in the 90s but only since 2002 has there been a trend towards the medium. Most of the latter were shown in international film festivals.
She was married to fellow composer Hajime Mizoguchi, with whom she collaborated on the soundtracks for Please Save My Earth and Escaflowne. They divorced in 2007.
In addition to Japanese, she speaks very little English and some French, but claims that her English is "poor" and she needs translation help to converse in French.[1]
She has attended Otakon and Anime Expo in 1999, as well as Anime Expo New York in 2002.
Gabriela Robin, an enigmatic vocalist who has only ever worked with Kanno and her ex-husband Mizoguchi Hajime, is rumored to be a pseudonym of Kanno herself.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo Studio Albums
| Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1998 | Song to fly | Track 8 Performed and all songs composed, conducted by Yoko Kanno. (Tracks 1-7,9-11) Performed by Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, |
| May 2, 2008 | CM Yoko | Compilation album of music for commercials done by Yoko Kanno over the years. All songs composed by Yoko Kanno |
[edit] Anime works
| Anime Title | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Please Save My Earth | 1994 | Composer (other tracks by Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| Macross Plus | 1994 | Composer |
| Memories: Magnetic Rose | 1996 | Composer |
| Vision of Escaflowne | 1996 | Composer (other tracks by Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| X Clamp Characters File Vol1-4 | 1996 | Composer (one track for each album) |
| Clamp School Detectives | 1997 | Second ending theme |
| Noiseman Sound Insect | 1997 | Composer |
| Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight | 1998 | Composer for Opening theme |
| Cowboy Bebop | 1998 | Composer |
| Cardcaptor Sakura | 1998 | Composer for TV opening theme |
| Brain Powerd | 1998 | Composer |
| Gasaraki | 1998 | Composer for opening and closing TV themes |
| Turn A Gundam | 1999 | Composer |
| Dai-Guard | 1999 | Composer for Ending theme; "Rocking Horse Stars" |
| Jin-Roh | 1999 | Pianist |
| Escaflowne: The Movie | 2000 | Composer (other tracks by Inon Zur & Hajime Mizoguchi) |
| Earth Maiden Arjuna | 2001 | Composer |
| Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door | 2001 | Composer Pianist for The Seatbelts |
| RahXephon | 2002 | Composer for Opening theme for TV & OVA |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | 2002 | Composer |
| Wolf's Rain | 2003 | Composer for TV & OVA |
| Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG | 2004 | Composer |
| Genesis of Aquarion | 2005 | Composer (other tracks by/in collaboration with Hogari Hisaaki) |
| Oban Star-Racers | 2006 | Composer for Opening and Ending theme songs |
| Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society | 2006 | Composer |
| Darker than Black: Kuro no Keiyakusha | 2007 | Composer |
| Genius Party | 2007 | Composer for "Baby Blue" |
| Genesis of Aquarion | 2007 | Composer |
| Macross Frontier | 2008 | Composer |
[edit] Video games
| Game Title | First Released | First System(s) | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romance of the Three Kingdoms | 1985 | PC-8801, Sharp X1, FM-7 | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition Zenkokuban | 1986 | PC-8801, PC-9801, etc. | Composer |
| Genghis Khan | 1987 | PC-8801, PC-9801 | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition Sengoku Gunyūden | 1988 | PC-8801, PC-9801 | Composer |
| Ishin No Arashi | 1989 | PC-9801 | Composer |
| Uncharted Waters | 1990 | PC-8801, PC-9801 | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition Bushō Fuunroku | 1990 | PC-9801 | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition Haōden | 1992 | PC-9801 | Composer |
| Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons | 1993 | PC-9801 | Composer |
| Nobunaga's Ambition Tenshōki | 1994 | PC-9801 | Composer |
| Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream | 2000 | Dreamcast | Composer |
| Cowboy Bebop | 2001 | Playstation | Composer |
| Cowboy Bebop: Tsuitou no Yakyoku | 2005 | PlayStation 2 | Composer |
| Ragnarok Online 2 | TBA | MS Windows | Composer |
[edit] Movie works
| Film Title | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Yamato Takeru | 1994 | Composer |
| Asalto | 1996 | Composer |
| Boku wa benkyo ga dekinai (I Can't Study) | 1996 | Composer |
| Natsu jikan no otonatachi | 1997 | Composer |
| Tokyo. Sora | 2002 | Composer |
| Mizu no onna | 2002 | Composer |
| 03 + | 2003 | Composer |
| Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls) | 2004 | Composer |
| Ashura-jô no hitomi (Blood Gets in Your Eyes) | 2005 | Composer |
| Su-ki-da | 2005 | Composer |
| Honey and Clover | 2006 | Composer |
| Elegant World (The Show Must Go On) | 2007 | Composer |
| Say Hello! | 2007 | Composer |
[edit] TV works
| TV Show | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo ni mo Kimyou na Monogatari - Mama Shinhatsubai | 2001 | Composer |
| Mayonaka Betsu no Kao (The Other Side of Midnight) | 2002 | Composer |
| X'smap~Tora to Raion to Gojin no Otoko~ | 2004 | Composer |
| Chichi ni Kanaderu Merodi | 2006 | Composer |
| Camouflage | 2008 | Composer |
[edit] Works for Associated Acts
| Band | Album | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tetsu 100% | Tokyo Taco Blues | 1986 | Composer for one track |
| Tetsu 100% | 1987 | Composer for four tracks | |
| Ato3cm | 1987 | Composer for five tracks | |
| Jack in the Box | 1988 | Composer for three tracks | |
| Manatsu no Santa Claus | 1988 | Composer for one track | |
| Sunao | 1989 | Composition credited to band | |
| Samply Red | Perfect Rouge | 1996 | Composition credited to band |
| Ah-ra ii Kimochi | 1996 | Composition credited to band | |
| (with Riyu Konaka) Kiseki to Taitsuku | 1996 | Composition credited to band | |
| Happy Go Lucky OST | 1997 | Composer for 8 tracks | |
| Kemeko no Uta (Happy Go Lucky) | 1997 | Arrangement credited to band | |
| It's for my Ego | 1997 | Composition credited to band | |
| Perfect Rouge I, II, III | 2002 | Composition credited to band |
[edit] Works for Pop Albums
(In Order of Starting Year of Affiliation)
| Artist | Album | Year | Kanno's Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiyono Yoshino | Montage | 1988 | Composer for two tracks |
| Song Bird | 1989 | Composer for three tracks, arranger for two tracks |
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| Melanger | 1990 | Composer for one track, performer on two tracks |
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| Keiko Nakajima | Keiko Nakajima | 1990 | Composer for all tracks |
| Kyoko Endo | Renai | 1990 | Arranger for seven tracks |
| Kobitori ni Naritai | 1993 | Arranger for all tracks | |
| Fuyu no Miwa | 1993 | Arranger for all tracks | |
| Hashire Hashire | 1999 | Arranger for two tracks | |
| Aki Okui | Lost Melodies | 1994 | Arranger for two tracks |
| Straw Color | 1997 | Arranger for one track | |
| Tsuki no Mayu | 2000 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Hitomi Mieno | Hajimari no Boukenshya-tachi ~Hikari no Chizu~ |
1995 | Composer for two tracks |
| Miki Imai | Love of my Life | 1995 | Arranger for four tracks |
| Thank You | 1996 | Arranger for four tracks | |
| IMAI.MIKI from 1986 | 1998 | Arranger for one track | |
| Blooming Ivory | 2000 | Arranger for one track | |
| Yuri Shinatori | Atarashii Kutsu | 1995 | Composer for two tracks, Lyricist for one track |
| Caramel Pop | 1995 | Composer and lyricist for two tracks | |
| Kyoko Koizumi | Otokonoko, Onnannoko | 1996 | Composer for eight tracks, arranger for all tracks except 9 by Samply Red |
| For my Life(Single) | 1999 | Composer for two tracks | |
| Maaya Sakamoto | Grapefruit | 1997 | Composer for all tracks |
| Dive | 1998 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Hotchpotch | 1999 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Lucy | 2001 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Easy Listening | 2001 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Tune The Rainbow | 2003 | Composer for all tracks, two tracks composed with Alexander Borodin |
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| Shonen Alice | 2003 | Composer for all tracks | |
| Akino Arai | Sora No Mori | 1997 | Composer for five tracks |
| Sora No Miwa | 1997 | Composer for two tracks | |
| Hiru No Tsuki | 1998 | Arranger for two tracks | |
| RGB | 2002 | Composer for one track | |
| Yasui Inoue | Kyuu Dan | 1998 | Composer for one track |
| Crystal Kay | Eternal Memories | 1999 | Composer for two tracks |
| Komichi no Hana | 1999 | Composer for one track | |
| C.C.L Crystal Lover Light | 2000 | Composer for one track, Arranger for one track |
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| Kei Kobayashi | Nagashime Play | 2003 | Composer for all tracks |
| SMAP | Say What You Will | 2005 | Composer for two tracks |
| Yukawa Shione | Yuki No Waltz | 2007 | Composer for one track |
| AKINO from bless4 | Lost in Time | 2007 | Composer for all tracks |
[edit] Companies that Commissioned Kanno for Commercial Music [2]
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[edit] Hired vocalists
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Yoko Kanno Japanese site
- Yoko Kanno at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Voices: An EX.org Exclusive Interview with Yoko Kanno
- Yōko Kanno at the Internet Movie Database
- Nippop Profile |Yoko Kanno
- Yoko Kanno discography at MusicBrainz
- Jmusic.fr.tc biography and discography (French)
