Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 132 - In Memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto Special Part 1: Considering His Melodic Sensibilities

Sakamoto Ryuichi, the Great Musician Who was also Concerned about the Global Environment

On March 28th, Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan's leading musicians, passed away. He was 71 years old.
I sincerely pray for his soul to rest in peace.
Mr. Sakamoto won an Academy Award for the soundtrack to the film “The Last Emperor”, and he left behind many works as a world-class musician.
He was known as a synthesizer player, and was in charge of the synthesizer in YMO, Yellow Magic Orchestra, which was at the forefront of the techno-pop movement.
He also made many achievements in activities that focused on the global environment, not just in his music.
I don't know what was beyond that point of view, but I had hoped that he would live longer and deliver his music to us in the Sakamoto style. I am truly very sorry.

When speaking of Sakamoto, themes like YMO, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, and his later piano solos often come up. However, in this article, I would like to remember Ryuichi Sakamoto from a slightly different perspective. That perspective is the brilliance of his melody creation in his piano solos. This ties into his music composition process, but I believe that the melodies Sakamoto weaved were generally pop, easy to remember, and had a quality of being approachable.

Ryuichi Sakamoto on the Eve of YMO

Before forming YMO, Sakamoto participated in recordings with artists like Yoshitaka Minami, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Tatsuro Yamashita, handling arrangements, performance, and even composition. In pop songs, where guitar solos were central, Sakamoto played Fender Rhodes piano and synthesizer solos during the instrumental breaks, which were quite rare at the time. Those solos were truly remarkable. Were they improvised during the session, or were they pre-planned? Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing now, but the solos Sakamoto created were imaginative and the melodies were beautiful. I personally imagine that Sakamoto was a rare master of melody and an incredible arranger. In this piece, I will introduce some of his wonderful solos. First, from an album by Yoshitaka Minami...

■ Album: Yoshitaka Minami “South of the Border” (1978)

I first became aware of Ryuichi Sakamoto in 1978 when I heard the album "South of the Border" by Yoshitaka Minami.
The album features songs based on bossa nova and samba. Ryuichi Sakamoto was in charge of arranging all the songs. He used a Korg PS-3100 polyphonic synthesizer to recreate the brass ensemble, which is the essence of Latin music, using this polyphonic synthesizer. If you listen carefully, you can tell that it's not a real brass ensemble, but at the time in 1978, no one would have thought of using a poly synth to reproduce a brass ensemble. What's more, this poly synth, which is not very expressive, blends in perfectly with the band's backing track. It's the wonder of Sakamoto's arrangement.
Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, who would later become members of YMO, also participated in this album.

Recommended Track: “Yakan Hikou” (Night Flight)

The track opens with a flute-like melody from the ARP Odyssey synthesizer, drawing the listener in from the very beginning. Ryuichi Sakamoto also plays the Fender Rhodes electric piano. His melodic playing is evident in the Rhodes obligato and the block chords after the first chorus. In this song, the ARP Odyssey shines, both in the solo and in its role providing background melodies and obbligatos. The solo on top of the Rhodes block chords toward the end is particularly outstanding! The beauty of the melody line, as well as the way the melody unfolds, is truly worth listening to. It’s likely that Sakamoto brought sheet music and played it on site, but… what’s the real story behind it?

■ Album: Yukihiro Takahashi “Saravah!” (1978)

This is a solo album released in 1978 that highlights Takahashi Yukihiro's European-oriented style at the time. It was released in the same year as “South of the Border” in 1978.
Ryuichi Sakamoto also arranged the music on this album.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's equipment was almost the same as that used on Yoshitaka Minami's album “South of the Border”, including a Korg PS-3100, ARP Odyssey, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes piano and acoustic piano. Although he refrained from playing solo on the synthesizer, he did play a wonderful solo on the Hammond organ.
When both the “Saravah!” and “South of the Border” albums were released, Ryuichi Sakamoto was 26 years old! It's hard not to think that he was a man of natural talent.

Recommended Track: “La Rosa”

Sakamoto Ryuichi commented that he didn't play the Hammond organ much because he majored in composition at the university of arts. He seems to have added playing the Hammond to his own field because the audience liked it when he played the Hammond at a session with Maki Asakawa. However, the Hammond solo in this song is a solo that you wouldn't expect from someone who is not an expert.
The solo is reminiscent of the Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley, and he plays a classic solo through a Leslie speaker. In the outro section, you can also hear a dialogue-like situation with guitarist Tsunehide Matsuki.
Originally, Sakamoto had a good sense for melody, and he probably had the skills and sensibilities to express it. It is probably written music, but I can't help but take my hat off to the way he develops the melody in the solo.

Featured Musicians, Albums and Recommended Songs

• Artists: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoshitaka Minami, Yukihiro Takahashi
• Albums: “South of the Border”, “Saravah!”
• Song titles: ‘Yakan Hikou (Night Flight)’, ”La Rosa”

The “sound & person” column is made up of contributions from you.
For details about contributing, click here.