RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023), aged 71

[Malhomme]

My copy of Coda from amazon has arrived today. Haven’t seen the film, so I’m interested in digging in, as well as checking out the concert

I admit I ordered it immediately. Waiting for it.

 

[mkt]

"KAGAMI, which translates to “mirror” in Japanese, features Sakamoto playing 10 original compositions including well-known works “Energy Flow” and “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” along with rarely played pieces, such as “The Seed and the Sower.” Presented in surround sound"
https://theshed.org/program/299-kagami-by-ryuichi-sakamoto-and-tin-drum
There is, in reality, a virtual me.
This virtual me will not age, and will continue to play the piano for years, decades, centuries.
Will there be humans then?
Will the squids that will conquer the earth after humanity listen to me?
What will pianos be to them?
What about music?
Will there be empathy there?

Empathy that spans hundreds of thousands of years.
Ah, but the batteries won’t last that long.

—Ryuichi Sakamoto, 2023

 

[mkt]

More info KAGAMI Live Mixed Reality Show Begins Limited Theatrical Run

 

[humprof]

Sasha Frere-Jones in The New Yorker:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-beautiful-unpredictable-life-of-ryuichi-sakamoto

 

[Malhomme]

I quite wish there would be multichannel versions of albums like Chiasm or Beauty...

 

[humprof]

Tribute concert at Roulette as part of last weekend's Winter Jazz Fest in Brooklyn--with violinist Meg Okura directing the Sakamoto Tribute Ensemble, plus special guests Yuka Honda and DJ Spooky.

 

[PurpleMoustache]

Janus Films will be distributing the concert film Opus, trailer out now. This means that either Criterion or the new sub-label Janus Contemporaries will be putting it out on disc.