Yoko Kanno: The Greatest Yet The Most Underrated Composer Ever

From being a ‘precocious child’, who had started conquering composition contests as early as the second grade of elementary school to being the international face of the anime music industry. The demand for Yoko Kanno’s services has never weakened. The acclaim can be attributed to her versatility from ambient & neoclassical music to techno & hard rock to jazz & soul, without ever sounding strained or forced.

That being said, she is easily one of the finest composers of the modern age, a legend for anime fans. To the rest of the world, she is practically unknown. 

YOKO KANNO

Born in 1964 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, she first started carving out her career as a composer for video games such as ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ for the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES). It was Hayao Miyazaki's 'Porco Rosso’ that saw Kanno cross over into the world of anime for the first time, with her taking arranging duties on the film’s closing theme.

She has also done scores for TV series, movies & songs for pop artists, & the list of ad jingles commissioned to her reads like a “who's who” list of the contemporary economic system. In 2019, she composed the piece “Ray of Water,” which was performed at the enthronement ceremony of Naruhito, the emperor of Japan. (She also conducted the orchestra’s performance.)

• Macross Plus (1994)

It was here that her star truly started to ascend as her splendid orchestrations in combination with vocals, tribal, techno, & breakbeat elements were original, to say the least, & garnered accolades from many throughout the Japanese music scene.

• Cowboy Bebop (1999)

She followed up with the soundtrack for Cowboy Bebop which heavily utilized elements from funk, soul & jazz. The neo-noir sci-fi anime series directed by the great Shinichirō Watanabe, who himself is a Jazz connoisseur, used the soundtrack beautifully to his advantage. Now the series is regarded as one of the greatest anime ever made equally known for slick action sequences as well as a jazzed up soundtrack.

• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002)

The digital soundscapes used for the soundtrack here truly reflect the world of this anime which talk about policing and counter-terrorism in a near-future world where the lines between humanity & computers have become blurred.

• Kids on the slope(2012)

Again directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, the coming of age drama features some of the most recognizable jazz tunes beautifully reworked by Yoko Kanno & the team. ‘Moanin’, ‘My Favorite Things,’ ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ & ‘Some Day My Prince will Come’ are a few of the highlights.

• Terror in Resonance(2014)

Shinichirō Watanabe has stated the main inspiration behind the show as the music of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. For this project, Yoko Kanno recorded in Iceland, mixed in England & mastered in New York, speaking volumes about the lengths she takes to find & create a sound that accompanies her subject matter.

Sources: Redbull Music Academy, Apple Music, NY Times, Wikipedia

Read more: Maki Akasawa: The Forgotten Japanese Jazz Legend With A Haunting Yet Beautiful Voice