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 classical music, jazz rock fusion, rock and electronica as well as multi-media projects for the theatre, a ballet score and cinematic soundtracks. He brought 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. His music featured on the soundtracks of the David Bowie film 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (1976) (borrowed significantly from earlier recordings), Ken Russell's 'The Devils' (1971), and race car documentary 'One By One' (1975). Early UK collaborators included Morris Pert (subsequently Brand X). In 1974, Yamashta formed the band East Wind, whose shifting lineup featured musicians such as Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine) and Gary Boyle (Isotope).[1]
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,[1] with Jess Roden replacing Winwood on the third LP. 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.
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Links to Peel[]
Memory of Hiroshima
Yamashta appears to have been the first artist from Japan to record a session for Peel, with his band East Wind in March 1974.[2] Then based in London, he was presumably booked for his work with English rock musicians known to the DJ and producer John Walters. At the time he was recording for Island Records, one of the key labels of the early 1970s, and was the subject of interviews and articles in Melody Maker and other British music papers. so releases by him would have come to Peel's attention.
In the book Japrocksampler (Bloomsbury, 2007, p230-1), Julian Cope claims that Yamashta's arrival in the UK and signing by Island marked a negative turning point in the musician's “brilliantly erratic early career”, with “his band and his record label opting to showcase him as 'The Man from the East', an exotic freak whose proto-Rick Wakeman garb and dervish-like agility [as a percussionist] became entirely secondary.”
Although other confirmed plays by Peel are rare, perhaps reflecting the scarcity of show recordings and playlists from the mid 1970s, the DJ is known to have aired the whole of the second side of the debut Go album in June 1976, shortly before the arrival of punk and subsequent changes in Peel's musical taste.
After Peel's death, four albums by Yamashta in assorted guises, including the double live LP by Go, were found among the first 100 albums by artists beginning with Y when details of Peel’s record collection were first released via TheSpace and John Peel Archive websites in 2012. (See Record Collection: Y.) On the inner sleeve of his copy of the 'Freedom Is Frightening' LP (1973), the title track is marked with two stars by Peel, suggesting a possible planned play on Top Gear.[2]
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
Stomu Yamashta's East Wind - Optical Dream (Peel Session)
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).
See Also[]
External Links[]
- Wikipedia
- Discogs
- Perfect Sound Forever: The Infinite Horizons of Stomu Yamash'ta (article)
- Quietus article (April 2022)
References[]
- ↑ There was a later Detroit garage band called The Go, whose 1999 debut album on Sub Pop featured Jack White and was played by Peel.
- ↑ Japanese singer Damo Suzuki appeared on all four sessions of German band Can, recorded 1973-75.