Leo Takami interviewed by Yuzo Sakuramoto
Leo Takami discusses his musical roots with Yuzo Sakuramoto.
Felis Catus and Silence is a breakthrough release for Tokyo composer-guitarist Leo Takami, following the milestone albums Children’s Song (2012) and Tree of Life (2017). Takami counterpoints the soothing aesthetics of prime-era Windham Hill New Age guitar-heroism with meditative, intellectual compositions comprised of ambitious, process-oriented arrangements. While Takami largely wears his genre influences on his sleeve -- jazz, classical, Japanese gagaku -- the influence of ambient music is a tacit foundation of his work. Working diligently outside of any established communities for fringe musics, Takami conjures this association through a patient focus on generous musical intervals. Steady, kaleidoscopic unfolding of his compositions reflect Takami’s creative intent to “become aware of precisely the time and place I am living.” The unabashedly sweet, tuneful virtues of his music in concert with this reflective form provide an artistic relief of Takami’s thematic harmony. “Each song is based on birth and death, and moving onto the next stage...”
Leo Takami, born 1970, studied guitar under Hideaki Tsumura (aka Kamekichi Tsumura) and performs regularly in Tokyo.
Press
"A recording of immense charm, Felis Catus and Silence beguiles with the harmonious sweetness of its seven pieces" - Textura
Track List
LP TRACK LIST
A1. Felis Catus and Silence (8:50)A2. Garden of Joy (5:42)
A3. Awake (4:11)
A4. Children on Their Birthdays (2:21)
B1. Garden of Light (6:53)
B2. Unknown (6:19)
B3. Quiet Waters (7:12)
About Leo Takami
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Born in Tokyo in 1970, He started playing guitar at the age of 14. He studied guitar and music theory from guitarist Hideaki Tsumura from Berklee College of Music. He has been producing music with his roots in jazz, classical music, ambient music, and gagaku.
In 2012, the album Children's Song was released from the label Flavour of Sound in Tokyo. In 2017, released the album Tree of Life from the California label, Time Released Sound. In 2020, released the album Felis Catus and Silence on Unseen Worlds in New York
