Jonathan Bockelmann - Sakamoto on Guitar (Vinyl LP) PRE-ORDER

Jonathan Bockelmann is a classical guitarist and composer based in Munich who first made waves in 2023 with his debut album ‘Childish Mind’. His entry into composing were arrangements he had made of pieces by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Some of these have been released digitally in three editions and are now available on vinyl for the first time. The record comes in high quality packaging with an embossed art print and features both some of Sakamoto’s lesser-known works like the ‘Suite for Krug’ as well as iconic pieces like ‘Bibo No Aozora’.

"I have always been fascinated with the music of Sakamoto. He manages to communicate his musical ideas with only a few notes - something that merely a handful of composers are capable of doing. And no matter what instruments he writes for, you can always hear an underlying constant, a signature in his sound. It was a revelation to me when I finished my first transcriptions of his music and realized how incredibly well they actually work on the guitar. Somehow this instrument is suitable for capturing the spirit of his compositions and I think it's because of the unique and colorful tone of the instrument. It even f e e l s great to play those pieces. Sometimes I spend so much time studying them that they start to sound to me as if they were originally written for guitar.
During the transcription process I had to take on different challenges. When the original score was available it was much easier to transcribe a composition because I had different instrument sections separately - like the string section of ‚Blu’, for example. This way I could figure out how and where to play it on the guitar. For some pieces though, like 'Dream', there was no score available and I had to figure out the notes by ear.
In the end the whole process gave me so much joy and inspiration, not least because I felt that I have created a whole new repertoire for the classical guitar, one that is wonderful to listen to and a joy to play."
- Jonathan Bockelmann 

Tracklist: A1) Aoneko No Torso 02:15 min A2) Dream 01:15 min A3) Bibo No Aozora 03:19 min A4) Blu 02:59 min A5) A Flower Is Not a Flower 03:12 min A6) 20220302 02:42 min A7) Opus 05:21 min A8) Dancing in the Sky 01:04 min B1) Suite for Krug in 2008: Movement I. 06:30 min B2) Suite for Krug in 2008: Movement II. 07:10 min B3) Suite for Krug in 2008: Movement III. 05:14 min