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Biography
Use mdy dates|date=February 2012Infobox musical artist| image=Yoko Kanno.jpg| name = Yoko Kanno| Sex = female| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist| birth_name =| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1964|3|19|birth_place = Miyagi Prefecture|Miyagi , Japan| death_date =| origin =| instrument = Electronic keyboard|Keyboard , piano, accordion | genre = Jazz , Classical music|classical , orchestral , Electronic music|electronic , New age music|new age , blues , folk rock , electronic rock , pop, art rock | occupation = Composer, musician, conductor (music)|conductor , Producer| years_active = 1986–present| label = Victor Entertainment (flying DOG)| associated_acts = Maaya Sakamoto , Nakajima Megumi , May'n TETSU100%, The Seatbelts , Samply Red, ORIGA | website =| notable_instruments =nihongo| Yoko Kanno |?? ???|Kanno Yoko|born March 19, 1964 is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and Television advertisement|advertisements . She was born in Miyagi Prefecture , Japan. She has written scores for famous animated works, including Macross Plus , Turn A Gundam , Cowboy Bebop , The Vision of Escaflowne , Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex , '' Wolf's Rain '', and is the most trusted composer by veteran and new-wave directors such as Yoshiyuki Tomino , Shinichiro Watanabe and Shoji Kawamori .cite web|url= http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/47_/s08_/index.html |title=Production IG Interview with Yoko Kanno for Ghost in the Shell: SAC |publisher=Productionig.com |date=March 20, 1966 |accessdate=September 10, 2011 Kanno has also composed music for pop artists, the most notable being Maaya Sakamoto and Kyoko Koizumi . She is also a skilled keyboardist, and is the frontwoman for The Seatbelts , who perform many of Kanno's musical composition|compositions on the various original soundtracks for which she is responsible.
Biography
Professional life
Some of Yoko Kanno's most famous soundtrack themes include " Kiseki no Umi " ( Lodoss War ), "Voices" ( Macross Plus ), " Tank! " ( Cowboy Bebop ), " Yakusoku wa Iranai " ( Escaflowne ), " Gravity (Maaya Sakamoto song)|Gravity " ('' Wolf's Rain ), " Inner Universe " ( Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ) and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex O.S.T|Stand Alone Complex O.S.T . In regards to making the Stand Alone Complex soundtrack she said:
cquote|I had this image of a formal and rigid 'manly' world for the original comic. So I tried to think of ways to destroy that world. The theme I had in mind was, 'be human.' It represented the sentiment of 'why don't we take it easy and be more like a human being? '—instead of being a workaholic salaried man working for his company. Or be it Tachikoma wishing to become human. I wanted to express these 'tangible fuzziness,' sort of. For the opening theme song called 'inner universe,' I had an image of digital bits and composed a score consisting of recurrent quick beats.cite web|url= http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/47_/s08_/000617.html |title=Production I.G WORK LISTDetails& #93;& #93; |publisher=Productionig.com |accessdate=September 10, 2011 Having composed in various genres, including blues, classical, jazz, techno, and J-pop, she was once asked if she favored a particular genre:
cquote|Ah ... I hear everyone talk about how many genres I work in like classical, jazz and others, but personally, I don't divide music by genre when creating. I don't create by saying, 'I must create a classical piece here,' or 'I must create a jazz piece here.' When I create music, I don't consider at all which genre I like best, but what the scene or the anime calls for, like a love theme or a mood. There isn't one genre I like more than the others. I find all of them satisfying and all inspire me in different ways.cite web|url= http://www.ex.org/4.5/16-interview_kanno1.html |title=Interview with Kanno Yoko |publisher=Ex.org |accessdate=September 10, 2011 Since she works in the animation industry, she only receives instructions and storyboards from directors which helps her with composing. However, it is uncertain if all of her works are to be included in the finished project. She once said that this is a way she likes to work, for she does not have to deal with rules during composing. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0437819/bio In reference to this, she once stated:
cquote|In my case, the creators talk to me and ask me to do a soundtrack a year or two before the animation is finished. At that time, I think of the plot in my brain, when the characters' names—everything about the characters—has not been decided yet. This is even when the title has not be decided yet. She was the lead member of the project band called The Seatbelts , which regrouped in the year of 2004 to compose the soundtrack of the PlayStation 2 Cowboy Bebop video game, released in Japan in 2005.
She has composed for many Koei games released during the late 1980s to early 1990s and for Napple Tale , a Dreamcast game. Due to her close involvement in the Cowboy Bebop anime, the game released by Bandai also features her work.
Apart from anime and games, Kanno also composes for live-action films and television television commercial|commercials . Some popular brands she has composed for are Canon (company)|Canon , NTT DoCoMo|DoCoMo , Fuji Xerox , Seven-Eleven , Microsoft , Nissan , Toyota , Shiseido , Avon Products, Inc.|Avon , and Master Card to name a few. Grand Funk Inc. is her recording studio of choice in producing for these two media. Contributions to films started in the 90s but only since 2002 has there been a trend towards the medium. Most of the latter were shown in international film festivals.
She has attended Otakon and Anime Expo in 1999, as well as Anime Expo#Anime Expo New York|Anime Expo New York in 2002. In 2010, she made a surprise appearance at Anime Expo.
Personal life
She was married to fellow composer Hajime Mizoguchi , with whom she collaborated on the soundtracks for Please Save My Earth and The Vision of Escaflowne . They divorced in 2007. In addition to Japanese, she speaks very little English and some French, but claims that her English is "poor" and she needs translation help to converse in French. In regards to spirituality and religion, she said:
cquote|I'm not religious at all. But Japanese don't believe in one God, but in gods everywhere in plants and animals. That's right. In Japan, Christianity has a wonderful image. People enjoy the image of Christ and Christianity in picture books, but not as a religion.cite web|url= http://www.ex.org/4.5/17-interview_kanno2.html |title=Interview with Kanno Yoko |publisher=Ex.org |accessdate=September 10, 2011 Gabriela Robin is a pseudonym that Kanno occasionally uses when she performs vocals. For a long time, the fact that Robin and Kanno were the same person was an unproven rumor. But, on July 7, 2009, Yoko Kanno performed as Gabriela Robin on her stage, proving the rumor to be true.Sibayan, Mai. http://www.gabrielarobin.com/mainsite/gr.html Who is Gabriela Robin? . A Gabriela Robin Site . 2004–2007. Accessed December 22, 2008.
Besides music, Kanno also enjoys photography and writing. She has written a number of journals for Newtype magazine of which photos for illustrations are done by Kanno herself as well,cite web|url= http://www.cybird.fr/pokkarishita/ |title=Pokkarishita Translation Project |publisher=Cybird.fr |date=May 1, 2010 |accessdate=September 10, 2011 and a selection of photos taken by Kanno of her protegé and former production partner Maaya Sakamoto were featured in the special event program for Sakamoto's 2010 thirtieth birthday concert at Nippon Budokan .
In 2011, Kanno expressed her support and wishes to the victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami , composing a song titled "Kimi de Ite, Buji de Ite".
Discography
Solo studio albums
Date !! Title !! Notes
January 1, 1998
Song to fly
Track 8 performed and all songs composed, conducted by Yoko Kanno. (Tracks 1–7,9–11 performed by http://www.cosmicvoices.net/ Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw Chorus, Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch, Franco Sansalone, Krzysztof Ciupinsky, Steve Conte, Jadwiga Rappé & Gabriela Robin.)
May 22, 2002
23-Ji no Ongaku
All songs composed, conducted by Yoko Kanno, ft. Maaya Sakamoto, released by JvC Victor. Translates as "11:00& nbsp;pm Music".
May 2, 2008
CM Yoko
Compilation album of music for commercials done by Yoko Kanno over the years. All songs composed by Yoko Kanno
April 22, 2009
CM Yoko 2
Compilation album of music for commercials done by Yoko Kanno over the years. All songs composed and/ or arranged by Yoko Kanno
May 27, 2009
Space Bio Charge
Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts 's album
June 8, 2011
Yoko Kanno produce Cyber Bicci
Credit: ILA. Compilation album of previous works with Ilaria Graziano , along with new materials.
Anime works
Anime Title !! Year !! Kanno's Role(s)
Porco Rosso
1992
Please Save My Earth
1994
Macross Plus
1994
Memories: Magnetic Rose
1996
The Vision of Escaflowne
1996
X Clamp Characters File Vol. 1–4
1996
Clamp School Detectives
1997
Noiseman Sound Insect
1997
Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight
This is a list of companies that have commissioned Kanno for commercial music.cite web|url= http://grandfunk.net |title=Grand Funk Inc. Official Website |publisher=Grandfunk.net |accessdate=September 10, 2011
Persondata | NAME =Kanno, Yoko | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =March 19, 1964 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Miyagi Prefecture|Miyagi , Japan | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Kanno, Yoko Category:1964 births Category:Anime composers Category:Video game composers Category:Female film score composers Category:Japanese film score composers Category:Women composers Category:Japanese composers Category:Living people Category:People from Miyagi Prefecture Category:Japanese female singers Category:Japanese keyboardists Category:Waseda University alumni
