Music Notes

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a world-renowned Japanese musician and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as "The Last Emperor" and "The Revenant," has died. He was 71.

Japan's recording company Avex said in a statement Sunday that Sakamoto died on March 28 while undergoing treatment for cancer.

He was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. In 2022, he revealed that he had terminal cancer, a year after he disclosed suffering from rectal cancer.

Sakamoto was a pioneer of the electronics music of the late 1970s and founded the Yellow Magic Orchestra, also known as YMO, with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi.

Takahashi died in January.

Despite his battle with cancer, Sakamoto released a full-length album "12" on his 71st birthday in January, stating that composing had a "small healing effect on my damaged body and soul," according to the official statement released with the latest album.

He was a world-class musician, winning an Oscar (Best Original Score) and Grammy for the Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 1987 movie "The Last Emperor."

Sakamoto was also an actor, starring in the BAFTA-winning 1983 film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence."

He was mostly based in New York in recent years, though he regularly visited Japan.

Born in Tokyo in 1952, Sakamoto started studying music at the age of 10 and was influenced by Debussy and the Beatles.

The statement from Avex said that despite his sickness, when he was feeling relatively well, he kept working on his music in his home studio. "To his final days, he lived with music," it said.

The statement expressed gratitude to the doctors who had treated him in the U.S. and Japan, as well as to all his fans around the world. It referenced the words Sakamoto loved: "Ars longa, vita brevis," which refers to the longevity of art, no matter how short human life might be.

Sakamoto also left his mark as a pacifist and environmental activist. He spoke out against nuclear power following the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdowns caused by an earthquake and tsunami.

He took part in rallies and made speeches in Tokyo, and was among a group of respected Japanese artists, like the Nobel-winning novelist Kenzaburo Oe, who were not afraid to take an unpopular stand on political issues.

In a July 2012 rally, he got up on stage and read from notes on an iPhone, warning Japan not to risk people's lives for electricity.

"Life is more important than money," he said in Japanese, then added in English, "Keeping silent after Fukushima is barbaric."

He also appeared in advertising for Nissan electric cars, although he acknowledged he got a bashing for being so commercial. At his home in New York, he gets electricity from a company that relies on renewables, he said.

"How we make electricity is going to diversify, with fossil fuel and nuclear power declining," Sakamoto told The Associated Press in an interview in 2012. "People should be able to choose the kind of electricity they want to use."

Funeral services have been held with family and close friends, the Avex statement said.

Sakamoto is survived by his daughter Miu Sakamoto, a musician. She posted on her Instagram the years her father had lived — from Jan. 17, 1952, to March 28, 2023 — and a photo of a worn out, half-broken piano. He was separated from his former wife, singer and composer Akiko Yano.

Associated Press writer Juwon Park in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Creative music company MAS (Music & Strategy) has added Yohimbe Sampson as producer and composer.

Throughout his career, Sampson has produced music, gigged with bands, composed for placements, and interpreted client requests for the likes of Rockstar Games, Activision, MTV, Fox Searchlight Pictures, and Disney. As a musician, producer and writer, his music has been featured in Grand Theft Auto, and he prides himself on his bands Meridian Lights and Game Rebellion, playing with the latter at New York music club CBGB’s right before it closed.

Sampson’s musical endeavors have been inspired and informed by his work as a firm community advocate. He has collaborated with community members, trained educators, led corporations in creating systems of accountability, and organized capital improvement projects for affordable housing residents--even earning a “Man of Distinction Award” from the NY Senate.

Sampson commented, “I am inspired by artistic creation, seeing how music exists in public spaces, and moving mountains--and that is what MAS is all about. It appealed to me because it exists in the sweet spot of in-house music making, creative external collaboration, and the magic of connecting clients to great songs. Also, helping to connect and support artists in such a challenging industry is a noble pursuit.”

He added, “For many the music that is placed in sync is the primary source of musical exposure. I want to play a role in holding true to that concept and protect the quality and sophistication of that relationship. Lastly, if possible, I would like to ‘pay it forward’ and place a song from one of the many artists that while growing up helped me see how awesome art and life could be.”

Gabe McDonough, partner, EP and music supervisor at MAS, commented, “The more musicians a music company can have on staff, the better in our view, and Yohimbe’s career so far as music creator and creative problem solver makes him a perfect fit for MAS. In the evolving landscape of music, an employee with a history of solving problems and creating consensus in complex systems sets us up to be even more successful now and in the future”

Three men were found guilty of first-degree murder on Monday in the 2018 killing of star rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot outside a South Florida motorcycle shop while being robbed of $50,000.

Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were also convicted of armed robbery by a jury that rendered its verdict less than an hour after beginning its eighth day of deliberations.

Their sentencing, which Circuit Judge Michael Usan set for April 6, will largely be a formality; Florida law dictates a life sentence for first-degree murder convictions.

The defendants, two dressed in suits and one in a button-down shirt, showed little emotion as they stood one by one to be handcuffed by a bailiff. There was no audible reaction from family members and other observers in the courtroom. Before the verdicts were read, Usan warned that anyone who caused any kind of disruption would be held in contempt of court.

The Broward State Attorney's Office thanked the jurors and prosecutors in a statement but said it would not comment further until the sentencing.

Williams' attorney, Mauricio Padilla, told The Associated Press that he doesn't feel his client was afforded a fair trial. He noted that a crucial defense witness was stricken and that he was prohibited from deposing a key witness. Phone messages were left with attorneys representing Boatright and Newsome.

"It is obvious from the days the jury was deliberating that they had questions and I only wish I would have been able to properly defend my client," Padilla said in an email.

During the monthlong trial, prosecutors linked Boatwright, Williams and Newsome to the June 18, 2018, shooting outside Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale through extensive surveillance video taken inside and outside the store, plus cellphone videos the men took showing them flashing fistfuls of $100 bills hours after the slaying.

Prosecutors also had the testimony of a fourth man, Robert Allen, a former friend of the defendants who said he participated in the robbery. He pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. He has not been sentenced pending the conclusion of this trial. He could get anywhere between time served, meaning he could soon be released, and life, depending partly on how much weight prosecutors give to his assistance.

Defense attorneys accused Allen of being a liar who was motivated by his desire to avoid a life sentence. They also said prosecutors and detectives did a poor investigation that didn't look at other possible suspects, including the Canadian rap star Drake; he and XXXTentacion had an online feud.

Boatwright was identified as the primary shooter. Twice last week, the jury asked to review 17 text messages that prosecutors said he sent to various people from the time he woke up about 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., about an hour before the shooting. He then stopped texting for about two hours.

About an hour after the shooting, Boatwright sent a text saying, "Tell my brother I got the money for the new phone." Minutes after that, he sent someone a screenshot of a news story saying XXXTentacion had been shot, prosecutors said.

XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports with a friend when an SUV swerved in front of him and blocked his BMW.

Surveillance video showed two masked gunmen emerging and confronting the 20-year-old singer at the driver's window, and one shot him repeatedly. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing cash XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank, got back into the SUV and sped away. The friend was not harmed.

Newsome was accused of being the other gunman. Williams was accused of being the driver of the SUV, and Allen of being inside the vehicle.

Allen testified that the men set out that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they spotted the rapper and decided to make him their target. Allen and Williams went inside the shop to confirm it was him. They then went back to the SUV they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to testimony.

The rapper, who pronounced his name "Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN," was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.

Associated Press reporter Terry Spencer contributed to this report.

Saatchi & Saatchi has hired a new sr. music supervisor, Jarred Causly. The music industry veteran will choose and curate music for visual needs, and act as a liaison between the creatives, producers, and B.A. managers for the agency’s Los Angeles and Dallas clients. 

With a wealth of expertise spanning more than 15 years, Causly joins Saatchi & Saatchi with the hope of infusing his passion for music into their creative process and of inspiring audiences with curated visual audio experiences.

“I have been a close follower of Saatchi’s work and influence in the industry for years,” said Causly. “It’s clear to me through their cutting-edge work that nothing is impossible. Saatchi is unmatched in what they can provide brands, and I’m excited to bring my skill set in stewarding unique musical content to their work. I’m eager to bring my love for music to the creative team staff and agency, and to elevate client brands through the power of music.” 

Causly most recently served as the lead music supervisor at Trailer Park Group, where he worked on TV promotion and trailers for streaming brands and TV platforms such as Freeform, ABC, NBC, Hulu, Disney+, BET+ Hulu, Prime Video, Tubi, Paramount+, and Peacock as well as consumer brands Pokemon Go, TRESemme, and XBOX/NBA2k. 

Causly, a Los Angeles native, is well-known in the industry for his “sync-ear” and passion for innovative visual sound pieces. He first began his career at a young age synchronizing his personal compositions to dubbed videotapes of his favorite animated action scenes, leading to his first foray into music licensing for several big brands and major television networks. Later in his career, he also held tenures at Universal Music Group, Sontradr, Winogradsky/Sobel (WinSo) Music Licensing Firm, and started The Illiad Music Library, a network of independent creative licensing professionals.

“Jarred is a well-respected name in the music industry and we’re ecstatic to have him join Saatchi. The role of sound and music is essential for us to create an emotional connection and break-through work, especially in the content saturated world we live in. Jarred’s ability to hit the winning formula in music to reach and connect to our audiences is what will continue helping us solidify our clients’ influence in the market,” said Lalita Koehler, chief production officer.