Masayoshi Takanaka | Artist
Masayoshi Takanaka is a Sino-Japanese jazz-funk guitarist, producer and composer born 1953 in Shinagawa, Tokyo. He rose to fame and achieved commercial success during the 1970s and 1980s as a member of the bands Flied Egg and Sadistic Mika Band, then as a solo performer. He is known for his virtuosic guitar playing and skilled musicianship, composing and performing across various different fusion styles from Samba-Jazz and Jazz-Funk to Jazz-Rock. His playful melodies combined with the funky grooves, slight Latin influence & shimmering production give his music a bright, inviting sound with a warm, tropical feel that few fusion artists can match. Takanaka was born to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother. His father went to Japan from Nanjing, China after World War II and married his mother, whose surname was Takanaka. Masayoshi was naturalized in Japan when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, and changed his name from Masayoshi Liu to Masayoshi Takanaka. From the age of 17 he participated as a guitarist in The Evil and began his professional career in 1971 by playing guitar and bass guitar in the prog rock band Flied Egg, which also included cult guitarist Shinki Chen on vocals and bass. In 1972, after Flied Egg disbanded, he joined the Sadistic Mika Band formed by Kazuhiko Kato, and from there he began working as a professional guitarist. The band fragmented after the divorce of two of its main members. After the Sadistic Mika Band disbanded in 1975, he formed the Sadistics with remaining band members Yukihiro Takahashi, Tsugutoshi Goto, and Yutaka Imai. The following year, in 1976, he released his first solo album, the superb Seychelles, and since then he has continued to pursue Sadistics and solo activities. Takanaka is a prolific recording artist, having released 39 studio albums as at 2015, plus 11 live albums. Standout album releases include Seychelles (1976), Takanaka (1977), An Insatiable High (1977), Brasilian Skies (1978), On Guitar (1978), The Rainbow Goblins (1981), and Summer Road (2009). Also recommended is Cha Cha Me (1979) by the Takanaka led group Bacco. Takanaka is known for his flashy guitars, including a gold colored Fender Stratocaster. He also has a trademark "lagoon-blue" Yamaha SG guitar that he plays during live performances. In 2004, at his performance in Crossover Japan '04, Takanaka unveiled his iconic custom-made red surfboard guitar. This guitar was used in a 2008 performance of "Beleza Pura" at Super Takanaka Live, one of Takanaka's most popular concerts, and has since become highly famous across the world due to its unique design. In 2014, at the 13th Tokyo Jazz Festival, Takanaka also demonstrated a custom-built guitar which featured a model train set. Takanaka has also collaborated with several other musical acts, notably Santana and Roxy Music. His 1981 song "Penguin Dancer" was sampled by Grimes on her song "Butterfly" in 2015. His 1979 popular song "Blue Lagoon" was named the 14th best guitar instrumental by Young Guitar Magazine in 2019.
Artist Website : takanaka.com
Featured Albums: Masayoshi Takanaka
Related Artists: Sadistic Mika Band, Flied Egg, Bacco
