Instrumentalist: 223 people
Kazuhiro Takagi is a Japanese violinist who is currently concertmaster of the Dallas Chamber Symphony.
Kimiko Wakiyama (born June 1972) is a Japanese whistler, composer, pianist, and ukulele player under Victor…
Kimiko Wakiyama (born June 1972) is a Japanese whistler, composer, pianist, and ukulele player under Victor Entertainment.
Akiko Suwanai (諏訪内 晶子, Suwanai Akiko; born February 7, 1972) is a Japanese classical violinist. At the age of 18, she…
Akiko Suwanai (諏訪内 晶子, Suwanai Akiko; born February 7, 1972) is a Japanese classical violinist. At the age of 18, she became the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In addition, she was awarded second prize in the Paganini Competition in 1988 and Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1989 and is a laureate of the Music Competition of Japan. She has studied with Toshiya Eto at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, with Dorothy DeLay and Cho-Liang Lin at the Juilliard School of Music while at Columbia University, and with Uwe-Martin Haiberg at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Until 2019 she played the 1714 Dolphin Stradivarius, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. After it was returned she received the "Charles Reade" Guarneri del Gesù on loan from Japanese collector Ryuji Ueno.
Hiroshi (ヒロシ), real name Ken'ichi Saitō (斉藤 健一, Saitō Ken'ichi; born February 23, 1972, in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture)…
Hiroshi (ヒロシ), real name Ken'ichi Saitō (斉藤 健一, Saitō Ken'ichi; born February 23, 1972, in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture), is a Japanese comedian famous for his stand-up act. Originally a member (a quick-tempered tsukkomi) of a kombi called Babies (ベイビーズ), he started working as a host in Tokyo under the host name Ken Saegami (冴神剣 Saegami Ken) when Babies dissolved. Making a mere amount of yen equivalent to $800 per month, he worked as a host for nearly 3 years. After quitting his host job, he returned to the comedy circuit with a new name, "Hiroshi"—taken from the announcer Hiroshi Ikushima (生島ヒロシ Ikushima Hiroshi)—and a new gimmick; one that would eventually gain him stardom in 2004 while landing stand-up spots on various comedy programs including the popular The god of Entertainment. (エンタの神様). His skit always follows the same formula: A simple introduction followed by a recollection of past and present pitiful episodes in his life after which he repeats, "I am Hiroshi." (ヒロシです/Hiroshi desu), while Italian singer Peppino Gagliardi's "Che vuole questa musica stasera" plays in the background. He is always seen wearing typical host-style apparel, and he is known as a depressed character, which is reflected in his skits, and in the way he is treated by other owarai talents.
Motoharu Kawashima (川島素晴; surname Kawashima; born 12 January 1972 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese composer of…
Motoharu Kawashima (川島素晴; surname Kawashima; born 12 January 1972 in Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.
Sansuke Yamada (山田参助, Yamada Sansuke; born 1972) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and musician. He is noted for…
Sansuke Yamada (山田参助, Yamada Sansuke; born 1972) is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and musician. He is noted for his early career in gay manga, as the lead singer of the kayōkyoku group Tomari, and for his 2013 award-winning manga series Areyo Hoshikuzu (あれよ星屑; transl. Alas, Stardust).
Midori Goto (五嶋 みどり, Gotō Midori; born October 25, 1971), who performs under the mononym Midori, is a Japanese-born…
Midori Goto (五嶋 みどり, Gotō Midori; born October 25, 1971), who performs under the mononym Midori, is a Japanese-born American violinist. She made her debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 11 as a surprise guest soloist at the New Year's Eve Gala in 1982. In 1986 her performance at the Tanglewood Music Festival with Leonard Bernstein conducting his own composition made the front-page headlines in The New York Times. Midori became a celebrated child prodigy, and one of the world's preeminent violinists as an adult. Midori has been honored as an educator and for her community engagement endeavors. When she was 21, she established her foundation Midori and Friends to bring music education to young people in underserved communities in New York City and Japan, which has evolved into four distinct organizations with worldwide impact. In 2007, Midori was appointed as a UN Messenger of Peace. In 2018, she joined the violin faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. She is also on the faculty of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music serving as Distinguished Professor and Judge Widney Professor of Music. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2012.
Akihito Tokunaga (徳永 暁人, Tokunaga Akihito) (born 22 September 1971) is a Japanese musician, composer and arranger.…
Akihito Tokunaga (徳永 暁人, Tokunaga Akihito) (born 22 September 1971) is a Japanese musician, composer and arranger. After making a name for himself working for Being Inc. in the 1990s, he has been signed to Giza Studio from 2000 until 2023. In 2004, Tokunaga formed the rock band doa. After departure from the agency in 2023, he has become freelancer musician under independent company Floodlight.
Takahito Eguchi (江口 貴勅, Eguchi Takahito; born August 28, 1971) is a Japanese composer, orchestrator, and musician. He…
Takahito Eguchi (江口 貴勅, Eguchi Takahito; born August 28, 1971) is a Japanese composer, orchestrator, and musician. He is best known for collaborating with Noriko Matsueda on Final Fantasy X-2 and with Tomoya Ohtani on several Sonic the Hedgehog games. Eguchi became interested in music when he was six years old after hearing his neighbor playing the piano. He attended the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi where he acquainted Matsueda. Eguchi worked at Square Enix from 1998 to 2003 and currently works at Sega. He created mostly electronic music in the early part of his career but now focuses on orchestral composition and arrangement, along with performing keyboards.
Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage…
Takurō Kubo (Japanese: 久保 琢郎, Hepburn: Kubo Takurō; born May 26, 1971 in Hakodate, Hokkaido), better known by his stage name TAKURO, is a Japanese musician and lyricist best known as one of the guitarists and leader of the rock band Glay, for which he is also the main composer and lyricist. As a musician and composer, Takuro has worked with different artists and has also released solo works. Takuro and his older sister were raised by a single mother, as she never remarried after his father's death, when Takuro was three years old. He considers his mother an early influence in his musical career, as he was strongly impressed by her singing.
Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist…
Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that Do As Infinity was named after Nagao. Signed to Avex Trax, the band released their debut single "Tangerine Dream" on September 29, 1999, followed by three more singles between 1999 and 2000, which appeared on their debut album Break of Dawn (2000). In December 2000, Nagao decided to devote all his time to composing the music and no longer appeared at live events. Five more studio albums were released between 2001 with New World and 2005 with Need Your Love. With the release of their A-side singles compilation album Do the A-side (2005), Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005. The members continued work in the music industry, with Van pursuing a solo career, Owatari working with his band Missile Innovation formed in 2004, and Nagao continuing to work with other artists at Avex Trax. The band reformed on September 29, 2008, but Nagao did not return. Do As Infinity had their first new single release "∞1", in June 2009, followed by their seventh studio album Eternal Flame (2009). The band released their 11th and latest studio album Brand New Days in February 2015.
Keizoh Kawano (河野啓三, Kawano Keizō; born February 4, 1971) is a Japanese pianist, keyboardist, and composer who served…
Keizoh Kawano (河野啓三, Kawano Keizō; born February 4, 1971) is a Japanese pianist, keyboardist, and composer who served as keyboardist and pianist for the band T-Square until August 2020.
Hirohisa Horie (堀江博久, Horie Hirohisa; born March 24, 1970, in Kanagawa, Kantō region) is a Japanese musician and…
Hirohisa Horie (堀江博久, Horie Hirohisa; born March 24, 1970, in Kanagawa, Kantō region) is a Japanese musician and multi-instrumentalist. He plays primarily keyboards and guitar. Horie is one half of the Shibuya-kei duo Neil & Iraiza, and is known for his work with artists such as Kahimi Karie and Cornelius (as a member of the Cornelius Group).
Yasushi Ishii (石井 妥師, Ishii Yasushi; born 10 March 1970) is a Japanese musician from Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture…
Yasushi Ishii (石井 妥師, Ishii Yasushi; born 10 March 1970) is a Japanese musician from Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. He specializes in experimental, jazz fusion and hard rock. He is famous for his work with anime scores. He composed music for and scored the first Hellsing anime, with the music released as two separate soundtracks. He also was the voice for the Intelligencer in the video game Chaos Legion. In 1991, he debuted as a composer for Epic Records Japan, and started composing music for Misato Watanabe, Takashi Utsunomiya, and went on tour with the band T.utu with the Band. It was at this time that Ishii changed how he wrote his given name from (恭史) to (妥師), though the pronunciation stayed the same. In 1994, T.utu put out their first album, and Utsunomiya, as one of the members of the former members of T.utu, split off into another band named Boyo-Bozo which Ishii also helped compose music for. After Boyo-Bozo broke up, Ishii composed music for a number of other artists including Lazy Knack, Tomoe Shinohara, Masayuki Suzuki, and V6. He also helped produce Naoto Kine's album Liquid Sun, Crystal Kay's first album C.L.L～Crystal Lover Light, and Daisuke Asakura's Siren's Melody single. He also composed the soundtrack for Darker than Black: Origins OVA. In 2012 both he and Hayato Matsuo composed the music for the short anime adaptation of Drifters, a manga series by Hellsing creator Kouta Hirano, this was included as part of the Hellsing: The Dawn OVA series showing up at the end of the final episode and lasting only 150 seconds, later on he composed music for the 2016 anime television series adaptation of Drifters. He maintains a blog since 2007 where he shares new compositions on a monthly basis - some of which (SKY WALKER, BLUES OF FOREVER) are new renditions of songs from his work on Hellsing.
Keisuke Nakagawa (中川 敬輔, Nakagawa Keisuke) is a Japanese musician. He plays bass guitar in the band Mr. Children.
Kazuya Takahashi (高橋 和也, Takahashi Kazuya; born 20 May 1969) is a Japanese actor, singer, songwriter and bassist. He…
Kazuya Takahashi (高橋 和也, Takahashi Kazuya; born 20 May 1969) is a Japanese actor, singer, songwriter and bassist. He was a vocalist and bassist of Otokogumi, the Japanese rock band which was active during late 1980s and early 1990s. Takahashi has appeared in more than 50 films since 1988.
Makoto Yoshimori (吉森信, Yoshimori Makoto; born in 1969) is a Japanese composer and pianist known for his soundtracks for…
Makoto Yoshimori (吉森信, Yoshimori Makoto; born in 1969) is a Japanese composer and pianist known for his soundtracks for many animations. He also works on various artists like Ogawa Mishio, Yumeno Kabu, Umezu Kazutoki, Ohtaka Sizzle, Watanabe Takao and many more.
Takenori Nemoto (根本 雄伯, Nemoto Takenori; born 1969 in Kamakura) is a Japanese French horn player, composer, conductor…
Takenori Nemoto (根本 雄伯, Nemoto Takenori; born 1969 in Kamakura) is a Japanese French horn player, composer, conductor, and music educator.
Chisako Takashima (高嶋 ちさ子, Takashima Chisako; born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese tarento and violinist. She was born…
Chisako Takashima (高嶋 ちさ子, Takashima Chisako; born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese tarento and violinist. She was born in Tokyo.
Mari Sano (Aichi, Seto, b. 17 June 1968) is a Japanese artist and composer working in multiple media, including the…
Mari Sano (Aichi, Seto, b. 17 June 1968) is a Japanese artist and composer working in multiple media, including the charango, the ocarina, percussion and photography. She lives in Mexico and Argentina. She produced three albums From Beginning (1996), Latin Park (1999) and Friendship Musical (2008). Her compositions have received awards and cultural recognition in music, photography and performance.
Taro Hakase (葉加瀬 太郎, Hakase Tarō; born January 23, 1968 in Suita, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese musician who specialises…
Taro Hakase (葉加瀬 太郎, Hakase Tarō; born January 23, 1968 in Suita, Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese musician who specialises as a violinist and composer.
Ikuko Kawai (Japanese: 川井郁子, Hepburn: Kawai Ikuko; born January 19, 1968, Takamatsu) is a classically trained Japanese…
Ikuko Kawai (Japanese: 川井郁子, Hepburn: Kawai Ikuko; born January 19, 1968, Takamatsu) is a classically trained Japanese violinist and composer.
Takashi Hirose (Japanese: タカ・ヒロセ (広瀬 隆), born 28 July 1967) is a Japanese musician who is the current bass guitarist…
Takashi Hirose (Japanese: タカ・ヒロセ (広瀬 隆), born 28 July 1967) is a Japanese musician who is the current bass guitarist for the rock band Feeder.
Naoko Terai (Japanese: 寺井 尚子, Terai Naoko; born May 1, 1967) is a Japanese jazz violinist. Her work mainly extends into…
Naoko Terai (Japanese: 寺井 尚子, Terai Naoko; born May 1, 1967) is a Japanese jazz violinist. Her work mainly extends into jazz fusion, popular music, tango, and light classical pieces. Naoko Terai was born in Fujisawa City and began studying violin at the age of four but was unable to pursue classical music due to Tendonitis. After being inspired by the work of Bill Evans, began working professionally as a jazz musician in the 1980s, where she was known for performing with Shigeharu Mukai and Mal Waldron. In 1995, she played violin on Kenny Barron's album Things Unseen and formed her own quartet three years later; touring with Lee Ritenour in 2000 and working with Richard Galliano in 2001.
Ken Morioka (Japanese: 森岡賢; March 15, 1967 – June 3, 2016) was a Japanese musician, keyboardist, composer, and music…
Ken Morioka (Japanese: 森岡賢; March 15, 1967 – June 3, 2016) was a Japanese musician, keyboardist, composer, and music producer. He died of heart failure at the age of 49. In addition to being a member of influential synthpop group Soft Ballet, he worked with numerous other musicians such as Kaya, Buck-Tick, and ZIZ (with ex-Malice Mizer member Közi). He was also in the bands minus (-) and Ka.f.ka. In 2006, he formed unit Gentleman Take Poraloid with Masayuki Deguchi, on the independent record label Palm Tree and in 2009, released the studio album Orfeu.
Shinichi Osawa (Japanese: 大沢 伸一, Hepburn: Ōsawa Shin'ichi; born 7 February 1967), also known by his stage name Mondo…
Shinichi Osawa (Japanese: 大沢 伸一, Hepburn: Ōsawa Shin'ichi; born 7 February 1967), also known by his stage name Mondo Grosso, is a Japanese musician, DJ, record producer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has worked in genres ranging from acid jazz to house, with strong influences of underground club music, though his recent work has been in the genre of electro house. HMV Japan rated Mondo Grosso at number 95 on their "Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists," and Shinichi Osawa was ranked as Japan's number 3 overall DJ by TopDeejays.com as of 2016.
Yasuhito Sugiyama (杉山 康人, Sugiyama Yasuhito; born 1967) is a Japanese orchestral tuba player. Sugiyama is the first…
Yasuhito Sugiyama (杉山 康人, Sugiyama Yasuhito; born 1967) is a Japanese orchestral tuba player. Sugiyama is the first successful applicant as an Asian to the audition for Wiener Staatsoper Orchester. Since 2006, Sugiyama has played in the Cleveland Orchestra and serves as principal tuba.
Michiro Sato (佐藤 道朗, Satō Michirō; born January 1967 in Tokyo, Japan) is an avant-garde composer, singer, synthesizer…
Michiro Sato (佐藤 道朗, Satō Michirō; born January 1967 in Tokyo, Japan) is an avant-garde composer, singer, synthesizer player, and member of the rock band Factor.
Kyoko Takezawa (竹澤 恭子, Takezawa Kyōko) is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded for the RCA Victor Red…
Kyoko Takezawa (竹澤 恭子, Takezawa Kyōko) is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded for the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Born in Ōbu, Aichi in 1966, she started her training in Japan as a part of the Suzuki Method program and was part of a tour of the United States. She is a graduate of the Juilliard School (1989) where her teacher was Dorothy DeLay. Ms. Takezawa won the gold medal in 1986, and subsequently served as a judge for the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. She played on the Stradivarius loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation until it was sold at auction in 2006 for US$3,544,000.
Taiji Sawada (Japanese: 沢田 泰司, Hepburn: Sawada Taiji; July 12, 1966 – July 17, 2011), also known mononymously as Taiji…
Taiji Sawada (Japanese: 沢田 泰司, Hepburn: Sawada Taiji; July 12, 1966 – July 17, 2011), also known mononymously as Taiji, was a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is best known as bassist of the rock band X from 1986 to 1992. The band rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, credited as founders of the Japanese visual kei movement. After leaving X in January 1992, Taiji went on to work with many other recording acts, including Loudness and D.T.R. In July 2011, Taiji was arrested in Saipan for a violent outburst that took place on the flight there. Facing federal charges, he attempted suicide by hanging in his jail cell, which left him brain dead. Taiji died in a hospital on July 11 after his family decided to turn off his life support. In 2018, readers and professional musicians voted him the best bassist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal in We Rock magazine's "Metal General Election".
Atsushi Sakurai (Japanese: 櫻井 敦司, Hepburn: Sakurai Atsushi; March 7, 1966 – October 19, 2023) was a Japanese musician.…
Atsushi Sakurai (Japanese: 櫻井 敦司, Hepburn: Sakurai Atsushi; March 7, 1966 – October 19, 2023) was a Japanese musician. He was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band Buck-Tick from 1985 until his death in 2023. Initially joining as their drummer in 1983, Sakurai fronted the band for 38 years and 23 studio albums, nearly all of which reached the top ten on Japan's Oricon chart. Sakurai and Buck-Tick are commonly credited as among the founders of the visual kei movement. Sakurai released the solo album Ai no Wakusei in 2004, and was a member of Schwein alongside his Buck-Tick bandmate Hisashi Imai, Sascha Konietzko and Raymond Watts. In 2015, he debuted a solo project called The Mortal. After falling ill during a Buck-Tick concert, Sakurai died from a brainstem hemorrhage in a Yokohama hospital on October 19, 2023.
Kenji Ueda (上田ケンジ Ueda Kenji, nickname ウエケン UEKEN) is a Japanese rock musician and producer. He is known for his solo…
Kenji Ueda (上田ケンジ Ueda Kenji, nickname ウエケン UEKEN) is a Japanese rock musician and producer. He is known for his solo work, as well as his work with Kenzi & the Trips and the Pillows.
Motoi Sakuraba (桜庭 統, Sakuraba Motoi; born August 5, 1965) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist. Sakuraba is known…
Motoi Sakuraba (桜庭 統, Sakuraba Motoi; born August 5, 1965) is a Japanese composer and keyboardist. Sakuraba is known for his numerous contributions in video games, including the Tales, Star Ocean, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Golden Sun, and Dark Souls series, as well as several other anime series, television dramas, and progressive rock albums.
Michihiko Ohta (太田 美知彦, Ōta Michihiko; November 23, 1964) is a Japanese singer, composer, and arranger who has worked…
Michihiko Ohta (太田 美知彦, Ōta Michihiko; November 23, 1964) is a Japanese singer, composer, and arranger who has worked for several anime series such as Bubblegum Crash, Captain Tsubasa J, and Digimon.
Nobuo Ariga (Japanese: 有賀 啓雄; 14 October 1964 – 27 February 2023), also known as Hiroo Ariga (Japanese: 有賀 啓夫) in his…
Nobuo Ariga (Japanese: 有賀 啓雄; 14 October 1964 – 27 February 2023), also known as Hiroo Ariga (Japanese: 有賀 啓夫) in his early years of career, was a Japanese singer-songwriter, bassist, arranger and record producer.
Seiji Kameda (亀田 誠治, Kameda Seiji; born June 3, 1964) is a Japanese music producer, arranger and bass guitarist. He has…
Seiji Kameda (亀田 誠治, Kameda Seiji; born June 3, 1964) is a Japanese music producer, arranger and bass guitarist. He has worked extensively with Ringo Sheena, serving as her producer and touring bassist for many years, including his tenure with their band Tokyo Jihen.
Takahiro Nishikawa (西川隆宏, Nishikawa Takahiro; born 26 May 1964) is a Japanese keyboardist, music producer, and…
Takahiro Nishikawa (西川隆宏, Nishikawa Takahiro; born 26 May 1964) is a Japanese keyboardist, music producer, and businessman. He was a member of Dreams Come True from 1988 to 2002. While with the band, they released eleven studio albums and thirty-three singles. Nine of those albums and ten of the singles debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts. While Nishikawa was a member of the band, Dreams Come True won two The Television Drama Academy Awards for theme songs, once in 1995 and again in 1999. After he left the band, he was arrested and convicted twice for possession of illegal stimulants, once in October 2002 and again in February 2006. He opened a bar in Sapporo in 2009, where he regularly holds events themed around his former band, including after-concert parties. Nishikawa is also known by the nickname Nihya (ニーヒャ, Nīhya). His younger sister, Ayumi Nishikawa (西川歩, Nishikawa Ayumi), is a model.
Daisuke Ikeda (池田大介, Ikeda Daisuke) is a Japanese musical arranger and keyboardist in distributors Being Inc.
Michiyo Yagi (八木美知依, Yagi Michiyo), a Japanese musician who studied koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi…
Michiyo Yagi (八木美知依, Yagi Michiyo), a Japanese musician who studied koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi Kurauchi, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. Between 1989 and 1990, during her tenure as visiting professor of music at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, U.S.A., she premiered numerous modern compositions for koto and came under the influence of maverick American composers such as John Cage, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Zorn. Her solo koto CD Shizuku was produced by Zorn and released on the Tzadik label in 1999. In 2001 she recorded "Yural" with her koto ensemble Paulownia Crush for the East Works label. Under the auspices of the Japan Foundation, Yagi toured Russia with this ensemble in the fall of 2004. An eclectic musician, Yagi has frequently appeared on Japanese TV and has performed at the Moers Jazz, Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Archipel, Bang on a Can, Tokyo Summer, Vision, Punkt, Instal, Music Unlimited, Météo-Mulhouse, Born Creative, and Jazztopad Festivals. Yagi's koto has been featured in ex-Judy and Mary guitarist/singer Takuya's rock band, and she has recorded and appeared onstage with Ayumi Hamasaki, one of Japan's best-selling pop singers. Yagi was a founding member of the quartet Koto Vortex with fellow Sawai apprentices Yoko Nishi, Miki Maruta and Etsuko Takezawa, as well as Kokoo, a trio which performs originals and progressive rock covers exclusively on traditional Japanese instruments. She was also one-third of the avant-pop girl group Hoahio which recorded two CD's for Tzadik. Yagi is one of the few improvising koto players on the international stage. She has performed with Eivind Aarset, Mark Dresser, John Zorn, Peter Brötzmann, Elliott Sharp, Han Bennink, Akira Sakata, Kazuhisa Uchihashi (Altered States), Natsuki Kido (Bondage Fruit), Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Otomo Yoshihide, Bugge Wesseltoft, Saadet Türköz, Ned Rothenberg, Hoppy Kamiyama, Samm Bennett, Yuji Katsui (Rovo), Lauren Newton, Hans Reichel, Sabu Toyozumi, Mino Cinelu, Satoko Fujii, Joëlle Léandre, Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins), Bill Laswell, Kazutoki Umezu, Carl Stone, Kang Tae Hwan, Christian Marclay, Koichi Makigami, Zeena Parkins, Masahiko Satoh, Billy Bang, Keiji Haino, Jason Roebke, Sachiko M, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Paal Nilssen-Love, MZN3 (Kjetil Møster, Per Zanussi, Kjell Nordeson), Chris Mosdell, Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), WHO Trio, Mani Neumeier, The Geordie Approach, Chrome Hill, Hamid Drake (Jazztopad Festival Wroclaw /Poland 2022, and others. Among Yagi's post-Tzadik recordings are Seventeen, entirely performed on the giant 17-string koto; Live! at SuperDeluxe, a trio session with Flaten and Nilssen-Love; Head On and Volda as a member of the trio Brötzmann/Yagi/Nilssen-Love; Reflexions, a duo album with guitarist Elliott Sharp; Ichi no Maki and Ni no Maki by Dōjō, her duo with drummer Tamaya Honda; and Into The Forest featuring Yagi on kotos and vocals, with instrumental support from members of her Double Trio.
Masato Honda (本田 雅人, Honda Masato; born November 13, 1962) is a Japanese saxophone player, composer, and…
Masato Honda (本田 雅人, Honda Masato; born November 13, 1962) is a Japanese saxophone player, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Born in Nakamura City, Kochi Prefecture (now Shimanto City), he graduated from Kunitachi College of Music. He is most well known for being a member of the band T-Square and appearing on Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack with The Seatbelts.
Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese…
Takeaki Kunimoto (国本剛章, Kunimoto Takeaki) is a former composer of video game music. He used to work for the Japanese video game developer Hudson Soft. With them he would go on to compose several of their most famous early hits, including Star Soldier, Milon's Secret Castle, Mickey Mousecapade and Robowarrior. In recent years, he has dedicated his time to performing video game music at live venues in the Shibuya area, as well as releasing several albums containing his video game music material. Kunimoto is noted as one of the first to write accompanying lyrics to the music featured in the video games he composed for, printed in the instruction booklet supplied with the game software.
Mari Kimura (木村 まり, Kimura Mari) (; born 1962) is a Japanese violinist and composer best known for her use of…
Mari Kimura (木村 まり, Kimura Mari) (; born 1962) is a Japanese violinist and composer best known for her use of subharmonics, which, achieved through special bowing techniques, allow pitches below the instrument's normal range. She is credited with "introducing" the use of violin subharmonics, which allow a violinist to play a full octave below the low G on the violin without adjusting the tuning of the instrument. She studied violin with Joseph Fuchs, Roman Totenberg, Toshiya Eto, and Armand Weisbord. She also studied composition with Mario Davidovsky at Columbia University, and computer music at Stanford University. Kimura holds a doctorate in performance from The Juilliard School. Since September 1998, she has been teaching a graduate class in Interactive Computer Music Performance at The Juilliard School. Mari Kimura is the daughter of a renowned Japanese environmental architect, Ken-ichi Kimura. She grew up in a solar house designed by her father in Japan.
Kazuyuki Aijima (相島 一之, Aijima Kazuyuki; born November 30, 1961) is a Japanese stage and film actor, and one of the…
Kazuyuki Aijima (相島 一之, Aijima Kazuyuki; born November 30, 1961) is a Japanese stage and film actor, and one of the original Tokyo Sunshine Boys, a theatrical troupe that lasted from 1983 to about 1994. He is currently seen in television dramas and onstage in Japan.
Keiko Matsui (松居 慶子, Matsui Keiko; born 26 July 1961, as Keiko Doi) is a Japanese keyboardist and composer…
Keiko Matsui (松居 慶子, Matsui Keiko; born 26 July 1961, as Keiko Doi) is a Japanese keyboardist and composer, specializing in smooth jazz and New-age music.
Nobuya Sugawa (須川 展也, Sugawa Nobuya; born July 25, 1961) is a Japanese saxophonist.
Ryo Terakado (寺神戸 亮, Terakado Ryō; born 1961 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia) is a Japanese violinist and conductor who…
Ryo Terakado (寺神戸 亮, Terakado Ryō; born 1961 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia) is a Japanese violinist and conductor who specializes in historically informed performance. He also plays the viola, viola d'amore and violoncello da spalla. He has been teaching at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Toho Gakuen School of Music.
Yukiyasu Yanagi (born 9 November 1960), better known by his stage name YANAGIMAN is a Japanese musician, composer…
Yukiyasu Yanagi (born 9 November 1960), better known by his stage name YANAGIMAN is a Japanese musician, composer, songwriter, arranger and record producer from Kagoshima. He composed, wrote, arranged and produced music for various famous artists including Ketsumeishi, Funky Monkey Babys, Miriya Katou, Elephant Kashimashi and Usher, who is an American popular singer-songwriter. He leads the music band "1933 Ukulele All Stars" and is the bandmaster. He is a visiting professor at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and an adviser to the Matsumi High School since 2022. His blood type is B and lives in Tokyo since 1995.
Hajime Mizoguchi (溝口 肇, Mizoguchi Hajime; born April 23, 1960 in Tokyo) is a Japanese cellist and composer. Mizoguchi…
Hajime Mizoguchi (溝口 肇, Mizoguchi Hajime; born April 23, 1960 in Tokyo) is a Japanese cellist and composer. Mizoguchi started playing piano at the age of 3, and the cello at the age of 11. From 1978–1985 he attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where he majored in violoncello. In 1986, he released his first album, Half Inch Dessert, being listed as a composer, arranger, and performer. From then on, he has released over 20 albums including motion picture soundtracks.
Minoru Niihara (二井原 実, Niihara Minoru; born March 12, 1960) is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead…
Minoru Niihara (二井原 実, Niihara Minoru; born March 12, 1960) is a Japanese singer. He is the original and current lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Loudness. His first band was Earthshaker, in which he played bass and sang. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers, but he adapted quickly his voice to the high pitch tones requested in a heavy metal act. He was selected after an audition to become the lead singer of Loudness in 1981 and his voice, together with the flashy guitar work of guitarist Akira Takasaki were recognized as a trademark of the band. Although the first three albums were sung using mostly Japanese lyrics, he started singing in English only on their 1984 album, Disillusion. After Loudness released Jealousy, he left the band in 1988 and was replaced by the American singer Mike Vescera. After working with several bands (including Ded Chaplin, Sly and X.Y.Z.→A), as well as his solo career, he returned to Loudness in 2001. He released two solo albums: One in 1989 and Ashes To Glory in 2006, in addition to recording many albums with Sly and X.Y.Z.→A. In 2008 he formed a parallel band called Nishidera Minoru, with Show-Ya's singer Keiko Terada and Earthshaker's singer Masafumi "Marcy" Nishida. They released an album and produced and organized the Hard na Yaon 2009 festival. In 2018, readers and professional musicians voted Niihara the fifth best vocalist in the history of hard rock and heavy metal in We Rock magazine's "Metal General Election".
Hoppy Kamiyama (ホッピー 神山, Hoppī Kamiyama; born 1960) is a Japanese keyboardist and music producer who has worked with…
Hoppy Kamiyama (ホッピー 神山, Hoppī Kamiyama; born 1960) is a Japanese keyboardist and music producer who has worked with artists such as eX-Girl, The Pugs, Bradford Reed, Bill Laswell, Jan Linton, Marc Ribot, Hugh Hopper/Elton Dean and Damo Suzuki.