Sun Sun
A Casiopea album from their first era.
It is one of more than a dozen albums the band issued before Sakurai and Jimbo left in 1990 amid disputes over concurrent band memberships.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Casiopea
- Release period
- First era (1979–1990)
- Lineup
- Issei Noro
- Tetsuo Sakurai
- Minoru Mukaiya
- Akira Jimbo
Facts from the source article.
History
Issei Noro and Tetsuo Sakurai first met in 1974 through a mutual friend and began rehearsing together in Tokyo, aiming for a hard rock and funk sound inspired by Beck, Bogert & Appice. The band's direction gradually shifted toward instrumental music with jazz elements, with Noro and Sakurai as the only consistent members. After adopting the name Casiopea—chosen by Noro's mother from a constellation book—the lineup added keyboardist Hidehiko Koike and drummer Tohru "Rika" Suzuki. In 1976 the band entered the Yamaha-sponsored amateur contest EastWest, where Noro won Best Guitarist and the group reached the finals. Koike and Suzuki then left, and Noro recruited Minoru Mukaiya from Nemun Music Academy, while drummer Takashi Sasaki was added through auditions. The following year, Casiopea won Best Group at EastWest, and Noro again won Best Guitarist. Their demo tape attracted Alfa Records, leading to the band's debut in 1979.
Musical style and influence
Upon their debut, Casiopea was assigned the catchphrase "thrills, speed, super technique," which became synonymous with their playing style. Over time, Noro reduced the emphasis on technique in favor of musicality, partly due to the introduction of accurate music programs on computers. The band does not record demos; Noro writes charts, the members rehearse for weeks, and final ideas are developed on recording day. In Indonesia, Casiopea’s influence helped spark a jazz fusion boom that contributed to the Pop Kreatif genre in the mid-1980s, with groups such as Krakatau, Karimata, and Emerald Band forming. Krakatau and Casiopea once shared a stage at the 21st Economics Jazz at Gadjah Mada University.
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