SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2025 • 8PM
Yoko k anno Live!
Featuring Logan Richa R dson’s
B L ues Peo PL e Big Bang
Yoko Kanno COMPOSER / PIANO
Logan Richardson ALTO / SOPRANO SAX
WITH
Steve Conte and Scott Matthews
Charles Altura | GUITAR
Chris Bates | TROMBONE
Gina Benalcázar-López | TROMBONE
Justin Brown | DRUMS
Maurice Brown, TRUMPET
Aaron Burnett | TENOR SAX
Gerald Clayton | PIANO
Chet Doxas | TENOR SAX
Jonathan Finlayson | TRUMPET
Chiquita Magic | SYNTHS / VOCALS
Jason Marshall | BARITONE SAX
Wallace Roney Jr | TRUMPET
Josh Roseman | TROMBONE
Joe Sanders | BASS
Paulo Stagnaro | PERCUSSION
WITH Little Kruta
8-PIECE STRING ENSEMBLE
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Legendary
Songwriter, Composer, and Producer
YOKO
KANNO Makes Her NYC Performance Debut with Saxophonist, Composer and Bandleader LOGAN RICHARDSON in a Concert Featuring Her Most Celebrated Compositions
The Town Hall is proud to present Yoko Kanno Live! featuring pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer Yoko Kanno in her first-ever live performance in New York City, accompanied by the 16-piece Blues People Big Bang , directed by saxophonist and composer Logan Richardson, Little Kruta , a double string quartet, and vocalists Steve Conte and Scott Matthew, the original voices in her Cowboy Bebop soundtrack,
Yoko Kanno is a Japanese cultural icon celebrated for her groundbreaking musical scores for anime, video games, TV, and film. Her exceptional score for director Shimichir Watanabe’s space western anime Cowboy Bebop was her international breakthrough. The 26-part series first aired on Japanese television in 1998 and cultivated a following in the United States when broadcast on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in 2001.
Anchored on jazz, the soundtrack crosses the lines between world music, blues, rock, gospel, and classical music, drawing from sources as disparate as Jaco Pastorius, Steve Reich, and Tom Waits. With references to Westerns, film noir, and sci-fi, leavened with a touch of humor, Cowboy Bebop was hailed as revolutionary animated television and celebrated as “a new genre unto itself.” And so was Kanno’s score, which was praised as “a pioneer in its own space.”
The evening will feature her most celebrated compositions, including tracks from Cowboy Bebop such as “TANK!”, the big band bebop workout “Rush,” and the cheeky “Cat Blues”. But the program will also be a showcase of the wide range of her work, including her scores for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf’s Rain, Darker Than Black, and more.
Lower: Paolo Soriani
ABOUT THE SHOW
“Everybody asks how can I do so many different genres, classical, and jazz,” she said in an interview for Forbes Magazine. “I never care about genre. What I care about are the emotions and feelings each scene tries to deliver. As a result of that, I come up with different music.”
New York audiences had a first live encounter with Kanno’s music on November 16, 2023, when The Town Hall and Crunchyroll, the leading anime streaming service, celebrated the 25th anniversary of Cowboy Bebop ’s premiere with Cowboy Bebop 25th Anniversary Concert – The Music, a live score performance of Cowboy Bebop’s soundtrack featuring The Sinfonietta, conducted by Macy Schmidt. To highlight a memorable evening, Kanno made a surprise appearance on stage to thank the musicians and the 1500 fans who attended the event.
For Yoko Kanno Live! Kanno will be partnering with Kansas City-born saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Logan Richardson. Not surprisingly, Richardson, who met Kanno through Town Hall, shares her sense of adventure and a daring genre-crossing approach in his own music. His background includes performances with legendry bandleader Jay McShann and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, seven recordings as a leader (including Shift, featuring Pat Metheny), and working with some of the leading players in contemporary jazz, including Joe Chambers, Billy Hart, Butch Morris, Greg Osby, Stefon Harris, and Jason Moran.
After selling out recent appearances at the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Richardson assembled the Blues People Big Bang, calling on top New York musicians.
The rehearsals, long, intense, and detailed, revealed the spirit behind the music, he notes.
“She’s a superstar, has such a huge music catalog, and could be a diva — but she doesn’t act like that at all. As good as her music is - and everybody talks about her compositions - she’s also a great pianist,” says Richardson.
“And her energy, her whole presence, she has the hunger of an 18-year-old, ready to go off into the world, and that is very exciting.”
He was particularly impressed by her “taking a very popular book of music, such as the soundtrack of Cowboy Bebop, and she’s still willing to do
ABOUT THE SHOW
everything she can to push the music forward.” Given the band’s musicianship, playing the notes on the paper was never the issue. “What we wanted was to be sure that she was happy with the way it sounded, that her music lived in the way that she wanted it to live. After the first rehearsal, she was dancing around and beaming. We’re all very excited to be working with Yoko.”
Kanno began studying music at a young age, showing a talent for composing even while still in elementary school. But as a teenager, in part rebelling against her strict parents, she dropped her piano studies and enrolled in “studies of Japanese literature in order to become a novelist,” she once mused. It didn’t take. She left after a week. At the university, she discovered a pop band. The impact was profound. “As someone that grew up in a rural area, I hadn’t really heard or seen that before,” she told Forbes. “I ended up joining that pop music club.” She recalled, “Seeing a friend’s drum set for the first time [in college], I was like, ‘Woooow! What is that?! Hold on, what are you doing? What is this? How do you play it?’” She was “shocked” but soon joined her friend’s band. She learned composition by transcribing the pop tunes the group played, all of which, in time, gave her “a good understanding of the mechanics” of songwriting.
Her musical talent and the connections of the pop music club alumni led her to opportunities to write for television and commercials — and soon, she was on her way. Besides composing for games and anime (such as her notable soundtracks for series such as Macross Plus, The Vision of Escaflowne, and Wolf’s Rain), Kanno has written for live-action films and television commercials. She is also the founder, leader, and keyboardist of the jazz-rock band Seatbelts, which performs many of her compositions.
“I hear everyone talk about how many genres [I work in] like classical, jazz, and others, but personally, I don’t divide music by genre when creating,” said Kanno. “I don’t create by saying, ‘I must create a classical piece here,’ or ‘I must create a jazz piece here.’ When I create music, I don’t consider at all which genre I like best, but what the scene or the anime calls for. There isn’t one genre I like more than the others. I find all of them satisfying, and all inspire me in different ways.”
Yoko k anno
Lyricist and songwriter, arranger and music producer, Yoko Kanno has composed music for movies, TV dramas, TV commercials, animation, and video games. She has produced and written music for many artists as well. Her masterpieces include scores to the anime series Cowboy Bebop, Genesis of Aquarion, Macross Frontier, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, the film Our Little Sister, and the NHK historical TV drama Naotora: The Lady Warlord. She also composed the Great East Japan Earthquake (Fukushima) recovery support song, “Flowers Will Bloom - Hana wa Saku”, for which she created many different arrangements.
In the first year of the new Reiwa Era, she composed the Japanese Emperor’s enthronement celebration song, “Ray of Water”, and dedicated the performance to the Emperor and the Empress in front of the Imperial Palace. Most recently, she composed the music for two Netflix TV series: a live action version of Cowboy Bebop and The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House
Logan RichaRdson
As a young musician, saxophonist, producer, and musician Logan Richardson honed his skills in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City, Missouri. He quickly gained recognition for his prodigious talent and innovative approach to music, catching the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry after moving to New York City.
Over the years, Logan has collaborated with a diverse range of artists and released several critically acclaimed albums. He has earned numerous accolades for his work.
Despite his many achievements, Logan remains humble and committed to his craft. He continues to push the boundaries of jazz and explore new frontiers in music, always striving to learn and grow as an artist.
Photography | Left: Meow on the Bridge | Top: Paolo Soriani
Special Thanks
The Town Hall gives a very special thanks to:
Kazuki Nishi and Machiko Suzuki, Meow on the Bridge Inc.
Gloria Lee
Peter Tatara and Hannah Lee, Japan Society
Eileen Baptistin Level, AniTOMO
Jean Herard, Japan Village
Anime NYC and LeftField Media
Crunchyroll and Bandai Namco
Tonight’s Production Team
Logan Richardson | Producer
Simon Couillard | Producer
Laura Taglialatela | Producer
Mona Kayhan | Producer / Stage Manager
Amon | Technical Producer / Engineer
Urosh Jovanovich | Engineer
Stephanie Ferrell | Production Manager
Logan Richardson Studios is a bold force in contemporary music and art—part creator, part curator, and part agent of change. Founded by acclaimed saxophonist and visionary Logan Richardson, LRS operates at the intersection of innovation and cultural expression, championing original voices and redefining the role of the modern arts institution.
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Linda C. Houston
Khara Hutchinson
Fong H
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Brad Kirschner
Lau Annesa
Georgette C. Law
Tina Lawrence
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Smadar Levy
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Sara Lilly
Susan Lish
William Low & Hana Ptacnikova
Cornelia Macfadyen
Andrea Madden
Paul Magyar
Dr. Madeleine Mascitti
James McGreevey
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Kelli McMillan
Sara Lynn Michener
Tomoharu Misawa, Norie Misawa
Kate Moore
Mr & Mrs Michael Moran
Elliot Morgan
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Kara Moskowitz
Anya Nebel
Mathew Neiger
Melanie Nelson
Abigail Newsome
David Nirenberg
Ashling O’Dwyer
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Jason Pendrock
Nancy & David Perlstein
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The Powell Family
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Bruce T. Qua
Garth Reese
Scott Rhodes
David Rimmer
William Risch
Vicki Roosevelt, Rob Jorgensen
Neal Rosenberg & Michael Ottaway
Rachel Rosenberg-Shoch
Theresa Rostkowski
Ronald Rotter
Nancy Rubin
Alexa Sage
Faith Salie
James Sall
Aaron Sanders, Kitty Sanders
NallyAnn Scaturro, Stephanie LeBlanc
Isabel B Schiffer
Emily M Sack & Robert J Schloss
Lawrence Shultz
Maxine Schweitzer
Anastasia Mann, Eldar Shafir
Stefan Sherman
James Siokos
Chelsea Sosnowski
Shannon Spezzano, Morgan Nivison, Brittany Schnepel, Bill Irrek
Nina Sporn, Tim Smith
KT Stallings
Michael Steiner
Triple B’s
Anne Sundberg
Victoria Sweet
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Abbe Tiger
Sophia Waitword
Scott Weiner, Beth Siegel
Howard Weiss
Kim A. Weiss
Dan Weissman
Judith Wieber
Christine Williams
Stanley Wine, Lillian Tang
Serena Winters
Agnes Xia-Hu
Adnin Zaman, Layla Abushamat
THE TOWN HALL FOUNDATION
The Town Hall’s mission is to provide affordable world-class entertainment by new and established artists to a diverse audience; to inspire the youth of our community to appreciate and participate in the arts at The Town Hall and in schools through our Education Outreach Program; and to preserve and enhance The Town Hall as a historic landmark venue for the enjoyment and cultural enrichment of generations to come.
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PRESIDENT
Nevin Steinberg
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Ifẹmi Quiñones
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Leia-lee Doran
WARNING
The photographing or sound recording of any performance or the possession of any device for such photographing or sound recording inside the theatre without the written permission of the management is prohibited by law. Violators may be punished by ejection and violations may render the offender liable for monetary damages.
FIRE NOTICE
The exit indicated by a red light and sign nearest to the seat you occupy is the shortest route to the street. In the event of fire or other emergency please do not run, WALK TO THAT EXIT.
Thoughtless persons annoy patrons and endanger the safety of others by lighting matches or smoking in prohibited areas during the performances and intermissions. This violates a city ordinance and is punishable by law.
-FIRE COMMISSIONER
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Cell phones should be silenced prior to the performance as a courtesy to the performers and audience.
LOBBY REFRESHMENT BY Theatre Refreshment Company of NY
