Joe Hisaishi (JP)

About

Also known as: Jo Hisaishi, Joe Hisaichi, Joe Hisaish, Joe Hisaishi, Joe Hisashi, Joe Isaishi, Jou Hisaishi, Jô Hisaishi, Jō Hisaishi, 久石 譲, 久石讓, 久石让, 藤泽守, 藤澤 守, 藤澤守, 히사이시 조

Joe Hisaishi has spent decades building one of the most recognizable bodies of work in film music, blending minimalist ideas with full orchestral arrangements and drawing on everything from experimental electronic sounds to Western and Japanese classical traditions. His name itself is a tribute of sorts: he constructed the alias to echo the name of Quincy Jones, his inspiration. Most people know him through his partnership with Hayao Miyazaki, a collaboration that stretches back to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1983 and covers nearly every Studio Ghibli film since. The theme from Spirited Away has racked up over 109 million Spotify streams, and the Howl's Moving Castle main theme Merry Go Round has surpassed 158 million. Beyond Ghibli, Hisaishi has scored a string of films for director Takeshi Kitano, including Sonatine, Hana bi, and Kikujiro, whose track Summer became one of his signature pieces. He also composed the score for the Oscar winning Departures and wrote music for the Ni no Kuni video game series. Over more than 100 film scores and solo albums, his sound has stayed distinctive without ever staying still.