Improvised Music from Japan / Discography

Otomo Yoshihide

The Blue Kite: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A film by Tian Zhuangzhuang

(Trigram, S & T 001) (Japan) (CD)

  1. Main Title - Short Version (0:12)
  2. Crow Song - Opening (0:25)
  3. Main Title - Long Version (1:51)
  4. Wedding Song (0:45)
  5. Newly-Married Couple (0:36)
  6. Crow Song - Birth (1:00)
  7. Courtyard 1: Childhood (4:49)
  8. The Blue Kite 1 (0:50)
  9. Anxiety (1:13)
  10. Parting (0:31)
  11. Letter (0:34)
  12. Sparrow (1:42)
  13. Crow Song - Toy Clocken Version (1:02)
  14. Repentance (0:58)
  15. Main Title - Altered Version (0:51)
  16. Courtyard 2 (0:54)
  17. Crow Song - Moving (1:29)
  18. Children Fight (1:11)
  19. Crow Song - Mother & Son (0:23)
  20. The Blue Kite 2 (1:24)
  21. Undercurrent 1 (4:11)
  22. Undercurrent 2 (2:36)
  23. Courtyard 3 (1:28)
  24. Courtyard 3 -Altered Version (1:28)
  25. Crow Song - Mother & Son 2 (0:46)
  26. Anxienty - Altered Version (1:12)
  27. Crow Song - Culture Revolution (3:19)
  28. Crow Song - Ending (0:28)
  29. Ending Title (1:19)

Tracks 4, 5, 12 and 18: Sound effects from the film
Tracks 3, 7, 21, 22 and 24: Additional recordings for the CD
Tracks 11, 15 and 26: Altered takes from the film

Otomo Yoshihide: sampler, cymbals
Shuichi Chino: piano, toy piano, prepared piano, synthesizer
Oh Akioka: bandlin (Brazilian mandolin), banjo-cavaquinho (Brazilian small banjo)
Kumiko Takara: percussion, toy glocken, vibraphone, additional synthesizer
Uchihashi Kazuhisa: electric guitar (7)
Shigenori Noda: jew's-harp (9, 26)
Yi Tian: vocal (2, 28)
Lu Liping: vocal (3)
Chen Xiaoman: narration (27)

All music by Otomo, except Crow Song from traditional music, and Undercurrent 1 by Chino, Akioka, Takara and Otomo
All arranged by Otomo, the musicians and Tian Zhuangzhuang

Recorded by Yoshiaki Kondo at GOK Sound, Tokyo, April 6 and 7, 1993
Mixed by Yoshiaki Kondo at Nikkatsu Roppongi Studio, Tokyo, April 8, 1993
Additional recordings and mixings by Yoshiaki Kondo at GOK Sound, Tokyo, July 31, August 18 and 19, 1993
Original film sound efffects mixed for the CD by Giko Nakayama and Makoto Ohno at Nikkatsu Sound Studio, Tokyo, August 19, 1993
Mastered by Chow Kin Man at Sonopress Pan Asia Mastering Studio, Hong Kong, September 8 and 9, 1993

Design by Shu Kei and Lavin Kwan
Produced by Masaki Morishita
Includes liner notes by Otomo Yoshihide in Chinese, English and Japanese

Released in 1994