The Seatbelts are a Japanese blues/jazz band led by composer and instrumentalist Yoko Kanno formed to create music for Cowboy Bebop. The band released ten albums, a boxed set, and a live recording DVD.
The name of the band, according to the fictional description given in their first album, derives from how the performers wear seat belts to be safe while they play hardcore jam sessions.[1]
Many of the members of The Seatbelts have also worked with Kanno and with each other on other projects as well, and some have even gone on to compose their own work. For example, guitarist Tsuneo Imahori also played guitar on the soundtracks for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Wolf's Rain (both of which were composed by Kanno), as well as composing the soundtracks for Trigun and Gungrave.
History in Cowboy Bebop[]
The Seatbelts, led by music producer Y.K., have been described as hot, but cool, soft but hard as well as a "potato-like" band. Formed in 2048, they became an immediate hit in the Solar system. However, personal information about the band has been very hard to come by. The band wears seatbelts while they play, giving rise to the band's name. Their first hit, "Tank!", became a #1 hit on the "Solar System Music Hit Chart" in 2056. The band's "Digging my POTATO tour" lasted from the late 2040s to the early 2050s.[1][2]
Musicians[]
Japanese musicians[]
- Drums: Yasuo Sano, Akira Sotoyama
- Bass: Hitoshi Watanabe, Maki Kitada, Suzuki Bakabon
- Guitar: Tsuneo Imahori, Masayoshi Furukawa
- Percussion: Mataro Misawa, Ikuo Kakehashi, Yoichi Okabe
- Trumpet: Koji Nishimura, Koshio Araki, Yusuke Hayashi, Akio Terashima
- Trombone: Yoichi Murata, Satoshi Kawano, Hideaki Nakaji, Yoshiaka Hashimoto, Masanori Hirohara, Junko Yamashiro
- Saxophone: Masato Honda, Shigeo Fuchino, Masakuni Takeno, Takuo Yamamoto, Osamu Koike, Naruyoshi Kikuchi
- Flute: Hideyo Takakuwa, Kazuhiro Iwasa, Mika Hayashi
- Tuba: Kiyoshi Sato
- Harmonica: Nubuo Yagi, Ryuichiro Senoo
- Strings: Masatsugu Shinozaki
- Synthesizer: Keishi Urata
- Producer/Composer/Arranger/Keyboards/Noises/Voices/Mood Setting: Yoko Kanno
- Recording & mixing: Masashi Yabuhara
New York Musicians[]
- Drums: Al Foster, Bobby Previte, Bill Stewart
- Guitar: Peter Bernstein
- Piano: Mark Soskin, George Colligan
- Bass: Stanley Clarke, Scott Colley
- Percussion: Daniel Sadownick
- Trumpet: Nicholas Payton
- Trombone: Josh Roseman
- Soprano Saxophone: Steve Wilson
- Alto Saxophone and Flute: Gary Bartz
- Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet: Chris Potter
- Tenor Saxophone: Joshua Redman
- Baritone Saxophone: James Carter
- Tuba: Bill Barber
- Harmonica: Chris Michalek
- Chorus: Paule McWilliams, Nicki Richards, Sharon Bryant-Gallwey, Lisa Fischer
- Recording & Mixing: Rudy Van Gelder
Paris Musicians[]
- Guitar: Pierre Bensusan
- Percussion and Voices: Sydney Thiam, Michel Reman, David Mirandon, Philippe Drai, Phillipe Nalry, Thierry Boucou
- Recording & Mixing: Dupouy Christophe
Guest Vocalists[]
- Carla Vallet
- Tim Jensen
- Mai Yamane
- Steve Conte
- Masaaki Endoh
- Gabriela Robin
- Masayoshi Furukawa
- Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch
- SYDNEY with Sister R
- Emily Bindiger
- Jerzy Knetig
- Aoi Tada
- Raj Ramayya
- Hassan Bohmide
- Scott Matthew
- Reynada Hill
- Elena Satine
Discography[]
Studio recordings[]
- Cowboy Bebop (1998)
- Cowboy Bebop Vitaminless (1998)
- Cowboy Bebop No Disc (1998)
- Cowboy Bebop Blue (1999)
- Ask DNA (2001)
- Future Blues (2001)
- Cowboy Bebop Tank! THE! BEST! (2004)
- COWBOY BEBOP (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) (2021)
Live recordings[]
Miscellaneous[]
- Cowboy Bebop Remixes: Music for Freelance (1999)
- Cowgirl Ed (2001)
- Cowboy Bebop Boxed Set (2002)
References[]
External links[]
- The Seatbelts on Wikipedia