I really am sappy despite my 80s punk rock upbringing noted in yesterday’s post.

To prove it, I bring you the divine Yoko Kanno, who is surely one of the greatest natural composers alive today, a musical prodigy with a voice limitless in its reach and range. Kanno is entirely self-taught and gives kudos to Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as her classical inspirations. You can’t go wrong with those two! More details on this Japanese genius
can be found, with thanks to James Wong, at the Yoko Kanno Project.

For me to post a single sample of her music is silly since her musical gift is so broad, so astonishing that it transcends all classification. However, with that caveat, I submit the song Blue from the Japanese anime series, Cowboy Bebop. The song and its lyrics – which resonate so true with me – brings me to tears whenever I play it.

This YouTube grab is a live version (and poor quality I warn you), with Mai Yamane singing and Kanno and her studio band, the Seatbelts, backing up.

So, raise the crap out your computer’s speaker volume, turn my iPod player off, sit back, close your eyes, and ascend to a freer place.