Do what you really want to do while you're still alive': Masayoshi Takanaka, the Japanese guitar hero surfing a second wave in his 70s

"I was actually planning to fade out [my career], he says on a video call. But now I feel like this might be my second coming. My life has changed so much in the last few years."

"Born in Tokyo in 1953, Takanaka picked up the guitar in middle school, taking inspiration from western artists such as Cream, the Beatles and Ten Years After. He hung out in Shibuya jazz clubs while still in school uniform, asking bands if he could jam with them."

"His 1976 debut Seychelles helped pioneer Japan's rock fusion scene, according to the Japan Times in 2015; 1978's Brasilian Skies, recorded in Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles, featured Ryuichi Sakamoto and members of Toto, and took inspiration from bossa nova and samba."

Masayoshi Takanaka, born in Tokyo in 1953, is a pioneering jazz fusion guitarist who began his career in the early 1970s with Sadistic Mika Band, the first Japanese rock band to tour the UK. After the band's dissolution, he built a highly successful solo career in Japan, releasing influential albums including Seychelles (1976), Brasilian Skies (1978), and Blue Lagoon (1979). Despite his prominence in Japan, Takanaka remained largely unknown in the UK for five decades. In November 2025, he announced his first UK solo performances, with demand so high that his London shows expanded from Shepherd's Bush Empire to two nights at Brixton Academy, attracting nearly 10,000 attendees. He will also headline an outdoor festival at Crystal Palace Park in summer 2026.

Read at www.theguardian.com