Midori Takada

Midori Takada from Japan stands out as a percussionist and composer whose minimalist ambient compositions fuse East Asian and African traditions alongside jazz and progressive classical elements. She entered the world in Tokyo during 1951 and refined her technique through studies at the University of Arts there. Upon completion of her degree, she launched her career in the 1970s by appearing with the Berlin RIAS Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout those same years she moved past strictly classical boundaries to investigate diverse Asian and African musical practices along with their associated instruments. For several seasons she performed as part of the Mkwaju Ensemble, contributing to releases such as the 1981 album Mkwaju recorded with keyboardist and composer Joe Hisaishi.

Her first solo outing arrived in 1983 with the widely admired and forward-looking Through the Looking Glass, captured across just two days and featuring her on harp, vibraphone, synthesizers, plus assorted found items that included reed organs, bells, ocarinas, and glass cola bottles. In 1987 she joined shō player Mayumi Miyata on Nebula. She resurfaced in 1990 with the collaborative Lunar Cruise, created alongside jazz pianist Masahiko Satoh, Yellow Magic Orchestra member Haruomi Hosono, and Kazutoki Umezu.

Across subsequent decades she participated in numerous world-fusion endeavors, appearing onstage with Ghana’s Kakraba Lobi, Burkina Faso’s Farafina Band, Korean saxophonist Kang Tae-Hwan, and additional partners. Her third solo album, Tree of Life, emerged in 1999. Beyond her own recordings she has supplied scores for film and video-game projects connected to franchises including Final Fantasy, Haibane-Renmei, and Akira Senju’s Tetsujin 28. She has further contributed to stage productions, working with Tadashi Suzuki and the Suzuki Company of Toga on acclaimed stagings of Electra and King Lear. For an extended period she instructed students at the Tokyo National University of Arts. In 2017 she undertook live dates marking the reissue of her initial pair of solo albums.