Ryuichi Sakamoto Released Tong Poo for Junya Watanabe
Taking nostalgia for Asia as his theme, Junya Watanabe has announced his Spring/Summer 2022 collection. Ryuichi Sakamoto created a new arrangement of “Tong Poo” (created initially with Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978) at the request of Junya Watanabe, offering the new creation as “Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE”.
The analog record contains the song used in the show plus an unreleased version produced by Sakamoto at the same time, “Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE -alternative arr.” commmons will start taking reservations for 500 limited copies of this special edition from November 2 on commmonsmart.
“Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE” is now available for download and streaming.
「Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE」
01. Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE
02. Tong Poo for JUNYA WATANABE – alternative arr.
12 inch analog record（color vinyl）
Listen to the original Tong Poo version written and produced by Sakamoto in 1978, here.
Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres.
Sakamoto began his career while at university in the 1970s as a session musician, producer, and arranger. As a film-score composer, Sakamoto has won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and two Golden Globe Awards. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) marked his debut as both an actor and a film-score composer; its main theme was adapted into the single “Forbidden Colours” which became an international hit.
His most successful work as a film composer was The Last Emperor (1987), after which he continued earning accolades composing for films such as The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), and The Revenant (2015). On occasion, Sakamoto has also worked as a composer and a scenario writer on anime and video games. In 2009, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture of France for his contributions to music.
In January 2017 it was announced that Sakamoto would release a solo album in April 2017 through Milan Records; the new album, titled async, was released on March 29, 2017 to critical acclaim. In February 2018, he was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. [Note: Milan Records was also the same label that released the soundtrack to Korean film, Parasite.]
On June 14, 2018, a documentary about the life and work of Sakamoto, entitled Coda, was released. The film follows Sakamoto as he recovers from cancer and resumes creating music, protests nuclear power plants following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, and creates field recordings in a variety of locales. Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible, the documentary was met with critical praise.
On January 21, 2021, Sakamoto shared a link on his official pages, which contained a letter announcing that though his throat cancer went into remission, he was now diagnosed with rectal cancer and that he’s currently undergoing treatment after a successful surgery. “From now on, I will be living alongside cancer. But, I am hoping to make music for a little while longer,” Sakamoto said.
Related news: Ryuichi Sakamoto Official score store” has opened on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s website
“Ryuichi Sakamoto Official score store” has recently launched on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s website. The latest versions of original sheet music are available, which Ryuichi Sakamoto has refined and completed, in two types: PDF digital data and print-on-demand.
The print-on-demand version uses FSC-certified paper in consideration of the environment. Each order is carefully finished by bellows printing and is delivered in a score case designed by Rikako Nagashima. The first edition is a selection of 9 compositions from popular works to the most recent, prepared in piano notation.
Of particular note is Ryuichi Sakamoto’s latest piece, “Ieta”, written for the CREO contact lens commercial, which began airing in December. Since the music has not been released (as of December 10, 2021), the full version will be unveiled for the first time with the music sheet.
“I started this sheet music store to give more people access to the actual scores I use during my concerts. Usually, I am the only one playing, so I have never created proper piano scores until now. It has resulted in a flood of independent transcriptions or arranged versions with the wrong notes and harmonies.”
“I have started to think that, at my age, it is about time I document these pieces properly. So, though it is a bit of a hassle, I have edited and adjusted these scores into something that I am satisfied with. Of course, the scores can be played on the piano or any other instrument. But, even those who don’t play may discover something new in the music by reading along.”
“For ease of use, I have not protected the downloadable PDF files with passwords. Instead, they include the email addresses of those who purchased the file on the last page of the score. Please understand that these are published just for you. I hope you enjoy the music.”
