Alongside Yellow Magic Orchestra and Plastics, Yasuaki Shimizu helped define the sound of '80s Japan. Decades later, he is still a first-call sessionman, bandleader, producer, and recording artist with a catalog that combines jazz, rock, and classical minimalism with musical traditions adapted from African, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, and Jamaican sources. He founded experimental prog rock band Mariah in 1978 and issued their eponymous album in 1979. Solo, 1982's Kakashi and 1983's Utakata No Hibi (by Mariah), framed the aesthetics of his future music, as evidenced by the 1987 album Subliminal's lush, post-new wave pop. Shimizu wrote and soundtracked the hit animated film X in 1996 and began releasing his globally acclaimed recordings of of J.S. Bach's six cello suites rearranged for saxophone. 2007's Pentatonica (with Saxophonettes) showcased 2000s classical compositions. 2022 finally saw the release of Kiren (recorded in 1984) and NHK Saturday Drama (the soundtrack to Kuhaku wo Mitashinasai).