Kitaro

Kitaro (born Masanori Takahashi on February 4, 1953, in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. His stage name was given later by friends because of a Japanese television cartoon character named Kitaro-, from Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro-. He is the son of shintoistic farmers.

Solo career

Back in Japan Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. He performed his first symphonic concert at the 'Small Hall' of the Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku, Toyko. During this concert Kitaro used a synthesizer to recreate the sounds of 40 different instruments, a world's first. But it was his famous soundtrack for the NHK series "Silk Road" which brought him the international attention.

He struck a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1986; in 1987 he collaborated with different musicians, e.g. with Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and Jon Anderson (Yes) and his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide. He was then nominated twice for a Grammy and his soundtrack (for the movie "Heaven & Earth") won a 1994 award for best original score. His biggest musical success was the Grammy Award 2001 for his album Thinking of You.

See Kitaro concert, keyboard tip, keyboard technique on VDO bar above

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Photo from www.echoes.org

Kitaro website
Kitaro-Matsuri



Kitaro-Koi