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Tomita

Real Name:
冨田勲 (Tomita Isao)
Profile:
Born in Tokyo in 1932.
He wrote the theme music used by the Japanese gymnastics team in the 1956 Olympics.
He has written the background music for "The Life Of The Flower (1960), "The Heaven And The Earth" (1969), "The new Tail Of Heike" (1972) and "Kaishu Katsu" (1974).
In 1973 Tomita established "Plasma Music.
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Discography

Releases:
Arabesque No. 1 / Snowflakes Are Dancing (7", Single, Promo, Cle)   RCA 1974
Golliwog's Cakewalk / Clair De Lune (7", Promo, Single)   RCA, RCA 1974
Snowflakes Are Dancing (Album) (12 versions)   RCA Red Seal ... 1974
Baba Yaga (Hut On Fowls' Legs) / Great Gate Of Kiev (7", Promo)   RCA 1975
Pictures At An Exhibition (Album) (12 versions)   RCA Red Seal ... 1975
Firebird (7", Pro)   RCA Victor 1976
Firebird (Album) (9 versions)   RCA Red Seal ... 1976
The Planets (Album) (8 versions)   RCA Red Seal ... 1976
Kosmos (Album) (7 versions)   RCA Red Seal ... 1977
Sound Creature (2xLP)   RCA Red Seal 1977
Tomita's World (LP)   RCA Red Seal 1977
The Bermuda Triangle (Album) (10 versions)   RCA ... 1978
Bolero (12")   RCA Red Seal 1979
Daphnis Et Chloé (LP)   RCA 1979
Space Fantasy (LP)   RCA 1979
The Ravel Album (LP)   RCA 1979
Tomita's Greatest Hits (Comp) (5 versions)   RCA ... 1979
Bolero (LP)   RCA 1980
A Voyage Through His Greatest Hits (LP, Album)   RCA Red Seal 1981
A Voyage Through His Greatest Hits - Vol. 2 (LP)   RCA 1981
Grand Canyon (Album) (7 versions)   RCA ... 1981
A Tomita Sampler (LP, Smplr, Promo)   RCA Red Seal 1982
Canon Of The Three Stars (LP)   RCA 1984
Dawn Chorus (Album) (2 versions)   RCA 1984
Space Walk - Impression Of An Astronaut (Album) (2 versions)   RCA 1984
The Best Of (CD)   RCA 1984
Live At Linz, 1984 - The Mind Of The Universe (3 versions)   RCA ... 1985
Live In New York - Back To The Earth (CD, Album)   RCA Victor 1988
Misty Kid Of Wind (CD)   RCA Red Seal 1989
Daphnis Et Chloé (CD)   RCA 1991
Storm From The East (CD)   BMG Victor Inc. 1992
Nasca Fantasy (CD)   TriStar Music, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) 1994
新日本紀行 [冨田勲の音楽] (CD)   BMG Victor Inc. 1994
Different Dimensions (CD)   BMG 1997
千年の恋 ・ひかる源氏物語 (CD)   Nippon Columbia 2001
子どものための交響詩 ジャングル大帝 (CD, Album, RE)   Nippon Columbia 2001
Aquasphere (CD, Album)   Walt Disney Records (Japan) 2002
たそがれ清兵衛 / Twilight Samurai (CD)   For Life Records 2003
冨田 勲 NHKテーマ音楽集 / Tomita On NHK (CD)   Columbia Music Entertainment 2003
源氏物語幻想交響絵巻 / The Tale Of Genji, Symphonic Fantasy (CD, Album)   Columbia Music Entertainment 2004
隠し剣 鬼の爪 / The Hidden Blade (CD)   Columbia Music Entertainment 2004
交響詩ジャングル大帝~白いライオンの物語~《2009年改訂版》 (CD, Album + DVD, Album)   Columbia Music Entertainment 2009
Appears On:
Lucille / Das Alte Schloss - The Old Castle (7", Single) Das Alte Schloss (The ... AMIGA 1978
The Music Of "Cosmos": Selections From The Score Of The PBS Television Series "Cosmos" By Carl Sagan (2 versions) The Sea Named "Solaris... RCA ... 1983
Pachelbel's Greatest Hit Canon In D (CD, Album) Pachelbel: Canon & Gig... BMG Classics 1991
The Music Of "Cosmos": Selections From The Score Of The Television Series "Cosmos" By Carl Sagan (2xCD) The Sea Named "Solaris" Cosmos Studios, BMG Special Products, Cosmos Studios, Cosmos Studios 2000
Super Roots 8 (CD, Maxi)   Very Friendly 2006
Music From The Motion Picture Ocean's Thirteen (Comp) (2 versions) Suite Bergamesque, Cla... Warner Sunset Records ... 2007
FabricLive.41 (CD, Comp, Mixed) The Firebird – Infer... Fabric (London) 2008
Hits & Raritäten (CD, Comp) Das Alte Schloss Buschfunk 2009
Tracks Appear On:
Hush A Bye Baby (LP) Reverie, The Girl With... RCA Red Seal 1978
The Music Of Cosmos (4 versions) The Sea Named "Solaris" RCA 1981
The Music Of "Cosmos": Selections From The Score Of The PBS Television Series "Cosmos" By Carl Sagan (2 versions) The Sea Named "Solaris" RCA ... 1983
Qui Es-Tu Toi? (2xLP) Snowflakes Are Dancing RFI 1991
START Edition 1996 (Asien - Australien) (CD) Gigantic Geometric Pat... Sony Music Entertainment (Germany), Columbia 1996
Music For The 3rd Millennium (CD) Pacific 231 AMP Records 1999
The Music Of "Cosmos": Selections From The Score Of The Television Series "Cosmos" By Carl Sagan (2xCD) The Sea Named "Solaris" Cosmos Studios, BMG Special Products, Cosmos Studios, Cosmos Studios 2000
The Razorblade Breaks: The Original Cuts Vol. 3 (12") Passepied Rawkus 2004
More Love From Colette (CD) Snowflakes Are Dancing... Colette 2007
Music From The Motion Picture Ocean's Thirteen (Comp) (2 versions) Suite Bergamesque, Cla... Warner Sunset Records ... 2007
FabricLive.41 (CD, Comp, Mixed) The Firebird – Infer... Fabric (London) 2008
Unofficial Releases:
The Beatnuts Collection (2xLP, Unofficial) Golliwog's Cakewalk Strictly Breaks Records 2003
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Reviews & Discussion

Review by futureimage Jul 18, 2005 (edited over 4 years ago)
In my opinion, Tomita is the Moog pioneer, not Walter/Wendy Carlos. Carlos maybe more popular, but I think Tomita gave his recordings a more human feeling with a touch of humour. His warm string sounds are far better than Carlos' plinky staccato pulses.
If you're going to buy any of his work, I would start with Pictures At An Exhibtion, one of his best albums and buy Different Dimensions, a brilliant compliation spanning his career from Snowflakes Are Dancing up to Dawn Chorus.
Review by eiskristall Mar 16, 2003
Here is the right place to put a short biography of this great musician which is taken from the back of his awesome LP "The Newest Sound Of Debussy":

Isao Tomita was born in Tokyo in 1932. He studied art history at Keio University in Tokyo and pursued his interest in music and electronics with private teachers. While still a student he submitted a composition called "Wind Mills" to the Japan Federation of Choral Organizations to be used by contestants in a choral competition, and it was accepted. This led to requests for other compositions. He wrote the theme music used by the Japanese gymnastics team in the 1956 Olympics and then turned to films and television, particularly the latter. He has written the background music for such year-long NHK series as "The Life Of The Flower" (1960), "The Heaven And The Earth" (1969), "The New Tale Of Heike" (1972) and "Kaishu Katsu" (1974), and for his contribution to the industry Tomita was awarded the prestigious Television Grand Prix for 1973. He has also composed music for TV cartoon projects, including "The KIng Of The Jungle", which was shown on NBC under the title "White Lion"; this music was later incorporated into a tone poem, which was performed by the Japan Philharmonic. For Expo '70 he provided the music for the Toshiba hall, and he has been commissioned to compose the music for the Japanese government hall at the 1975 Okinawa Marine Expo. In 1973 Tomita established Plasma Music, which is dedicated to the creation of music by electronic means. Other members of the group include Kinji Kitashoji, who specializes in rock music, and Mitsuo Miyamoto, who specializes in mood music. Among the projects being planned are a piano-synthesizer concerto; "The Prince Of Stars", an original piece being composed by Tomita as a fantasy based on a synthesizer, and "Orchestral Prayer", for the Ohara Sanzenin Temple in Kyoto, which would utilize traditional Japaniese instruments coupled with sythesizers.
Review by lancel Aug 31, 2002
One of the pioneers of electronic music. Most of his recordings are electronic interpretations of music by classical composers. He was originally inspired by Switched-On-Bach creator Walter Carlos, and produced his first album in 1974, Snowflakes are Dancing, featuring music by Claude Debussy.

His album notes typically included impressive equipment lists, including the massive Roland System 700 synthesizer, and numerous Moog modular synthesizer systems such as the IIIp and System 35.

Tomita is still active to this day, producing mainly classical music for events, films, and TV. His spectacular 'Sound Cloud' performances, where he is usually supsended in a pyramid above the audience, have been performed many times over the years around the world and feature music from all his past releases.

As an intersting aside, for those of you that grew up in the 60's and 70's, Tomita was also the composer of the background music for the classic anime TV series 'Kimba the White Lion'.

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