Stomu Yamashta

Stomu Yamashta (also known as Stomu Yamash'ta), was born Tsutomu Yamashita on March 15, 1947, in Kyoto, Japan. Since the late 60s, he has developed an international reputation as a composer and performer (percussion, keyboards) of jazz rock fusion, rock and electronica as well as multi-media projects for the theatre, a ballet score and cinematic soundtracks, bringing together elements of traditional Japanese music and Western progressive rock.

He relocated to Europe in the early 70s, working briefly in France on theatrical multi-media projects before moving across the Channel to England. He music featured on the soundtracks of the David Bowie film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (borrowed significantly from earlier recordings), Ken Russell's 'The Devils', and race car documentary 'One By One'. In 1974, Yamashta formed the band East Wind, whose shifting lineup featured musicians such as Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine) and Gary Boyle (Isotope).

Yamashta is probably best known nowadays as the leader of the supergroup Go, with Stevie Winwood (also Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith), Al Di Meola (Return To Forever, John McLaughlin) Klaus Schulz (Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel) and Michael Shrieve (Santana), for three albums and related performances in 1976 and 1977. After leaving Europe in 1980, Yamashta retired to a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, before returning to release recordings employing synthesisers, pre-recorded taped sounds, orchestral instruments and percussion.

(Read more at lastfm.com.)

Links to Peel
Yamashta appears to be the first artist from Japan to record a session for Peel, with his band East Wind entering the BBC studios for the only time in March 1974. Although other confirmed plays by Peel are rare, perhaps reflecting the scarcity of show recordings and playlists from the mid 1970s, the DJ in known to have aired the whole of the second side of the debut Go album in June 1976.

After Peel's death, four albums by Yamashta in assorted guises, including the double live LP by Go, were found in Peel's record collection among the first 100 albums by artists beginning with Y when details of Peel’s record collection were initially released via TheSpace website. (See Record Collection: Y.)

Festive Fifty Entries

 * None

Sessions
One session, credited to “Stomu Yamashta's East Wind”. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded 1973-03-07. First broadcast 14 March 1974. Repeat: none.
 * Hey Man / Optical Dream / Wind Words /One By One

Other Shows Played

 * 22 June 1976: Go (side 2).