UPDATE (April 28, 2012): Jackets added.
UPDATE (April 24, 2012): Track list added.
UPDATE (April 3, 2012): PV added.
UPDATE (March 13, 2012): CD and DVD release details added.

NHK announced that they will publish a song entitled “Hana wa Saku [trans: Flowers are Blooming], composed by Kanno, with lyrics by Shunji Iwai. As many would remember, a strong earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan last year, and affected the home town of our dear Yoko Kanno. They will be publishing this song as the first year commemoration of the earthquake, and the proceeds of the song will go to the rehabilitation of the affected areas.

Shunji Iwai is also from the Miyagi Prefecture. Singing for this piece are 33 (and counting) singers, actors, actresses, and sports figures who come from Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima. You may check the confirmed list here in Oricon News.

There will be a concert entitled “A Year from the Earthquake, A Concert to Tomorrow” on March 11, 2012 which marks the first year since the earthquake struck, in which this song will be performed.

They said that the music recording is done, and they are currently in the process of recording the vocals. There will also be a music video with the singers, directed by Shunji Iwai, the lyricist who is also a director.

Release Details:

Release Title: NHK “Ashita e” Higashi Nihon Daishinsai Fukko Shien Song Hana wa Saku [Regular Edition]
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Price: Y952 (Y1000 Tax incl.) [approx. USD $11.42]
Purchase from CDJapan.

Release Title: NHK “Ashita e” Higashi Nihon Daishinsai Fukko Shien Song Hana wa Saku [with DVD, Limited Edition]
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Price: Y1429 (Y1500 Tax incl.) [approx. USD $17.1]
Purchase from CDJapan.

Track List:

CD/DVD Release:
1. Hana wa Saku (Sang by the Hana wa Saku Project)
2. Hana wa Saku (Sang by AKB48′s Karen Iwata)
3. Hana wa Saku (Sang by Members from The Little Singers of Tokyo)
4. Hana wa Saku (Instrumental)

DVD First Press Bonus:
1. Hana wa Saku (Original Full Version)
2. Hana wa Saku with AKB48′s Karen Iwata singing
3. Photos and Videos of “Hana wa Saku”

UPDATE (April 28, 2012): Jacket art added.
UPDATE (March 26, 2012): More details added.

Motohiro Hata will sing the ED to Sakamichi no Apollon. The song is entitled “Altair”. The song has lyrics by Matahiro Hata, and is composed and arranged by Yoko Kanno.

Title: Altair [CD]
Release Date: May 30, 2012
Price: Y800 (Y840 Tax incl.) [approx. US$ 9.55]
Description: Outro theme of anime series “Sakamichi no Apolon” is sung by Motohiro Hata. This is a medium ballad produced by a popular composer Yoko Kanno!
Purchase from CDJapan.

Title: Altair [Limited Edition CD + DVD]
Release Date: May 30, 2012
Price: Y1200 (Y1260 Tax incl.) [approx. US$ 14.33]
Description: Outro theme of anime series “Sakamichi no Apolon” is sung by Motohiro Hata. This is a medium ballad produced by a popular composer Yoko Kanno! Comes with a bonus DVD with a music video.
Purchase from CDJapan.

Source: Matahiro Hata’s Official Website

UPDATE (April 25, 2012): Bump for release date. Samples to all the songs are available in the OST website.
UPDATE (April 13, 2012): Website for the OST has opened.
UPDATE (April 7, 2012): Track list, track credits added.
UPDATE (March 24, 2012): CD jacket, CDJapan link added.
UPDATE (March 1, 2012): More details added.
UPDATE (February 28, 2012): Additional sources confirmed. Check Rakuten, Amazon Japan for the OST listing.

Release Title: Sakamichi no Apollon OST
Release Date: April 25, 2012
Price: Y3,059 (approx. $37.7 USD)
Description: Release of “Sakamichi no Apollon” original soundtrack based on Yuki Kodama jazz manga and anime directed by the great Shinichiro Watanabe. As in “Cowboy Bebop” music was composed by the popular Yoko Kanno!! Features guest vocalists Aoi Teshima (“Tales from Earthsea”, “From Up on Poppy Hill”), Masayoshi Furukawa (from Seatbelts group), Yuuka Nanri and Ritsuko Mukae. Includes illustrated jacket and booklet.
Purchase from CDJapan.

Track List:

01. KIDS ON THE SLOPE 2:28
02. Chick’s Diner 2:01
03 Moanin’ 4:42
04. Bag’s Groove 2:29
05. Blowin’ The Blues Away 1:26
06. Satin Doll 1:08
07. YURIKA 2:35
08. Rosario 2:17
09. Curandelo 1:40
10. Transparent 1:37
11. Run 1:33
12. But not for me 4:30
13. My Favorite Things 3:20
14. Equinox 2:40
15. A Piece Of Blue 1:27
16. Lullaby Of Birdland 3:05
17. Jazz For Button 1:19
18. Four 1:38
19. Easy Waltz 2:04
20. float 1:25
21. Milestones 2:43
22. Apollon Blue 2:43
23. Kaoru & Sentaro Duo in BUNKASAI (Medley “My Favorite Things~Someday My Prince Will Come~Moanin’”) 3:38
24. Someday My Prince Will Come 1:42

Disc length 56:10

Produced by Yoko Kanno
Piano: Takashi Matsunaga
Drums: Shun Ishikawa

[BGM]

M-01~02, 07~10, 14~15, 17, 22
Composer: Yoko Kanno
Arranger: Yoko Kanno

M-11, 20
Composer: mabanua
Arranger: mabanua

[Insert Songs]

M-03
Composer: Bobby Timmons
Arranger: Takashi Matsunaga

M-04
Composer: Milt Jackson
Arranger: Yoko Kanno

M-05
Composer: Horace Silver
Arranger: Yoko Kanno

M-06
Composer: Duke Ellington, John H. Mercer, Billy Strayhorn
Arranger: Yoko Kanno

M-12
Performer: Shinpei Ruike, Masayoshi Furukawa
Composer: George Gershwin
Arranger: Yoko Kanno
Lyricist: Ira Gershwin

M-13
Performer: Yuuka Nanri
Composer: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II
Arranger: Yoko Kanno
Lyricist: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II

M-16
Performer: Aoi Teshima
Composer: George Shearing, George David Weiss
Arranger: Yoko Kanno
Lyricist: George Shearing, George David Weiss

M-18, 21
Composer: Miles Davis
Arranger: Yoko Kanno

M-19
Composer: Takashi Matsunaga
Arranger: Takashi Matsunaga

M-23
Composer: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Churchill, Bobby Timmons

M-24
Composer: Frank Churchill
Arranger: Takashi Matsunaga

Official OST Website: www.apollon-jazz.com

UPDATE (April 25, 2012): Prices changed.
UPDATE (April 24, 2012): Release date moved.
UPDATE (April 16, 2012): Added more details.

Outtakes? Hmmm, very interesting. CDJapan mentions that the impressive drum solo in the first episode is in, and a version of Moanin’ different from the OST.

Tentative Title: Sakamichi no Apollon Anime Outtakes
Release Date: June 27, 2012
Price: Y2381 (Y2500 Tax incl.) [approx. US$ 28.89]
Purchase from CDJapan.

UPDATE (April 22, 2012): Finished (but selective) translation added.

A Kanno interview for Sakamichi no Apollon from Amazon has been published to coincide with the release of the OST. Read below her feelings on jazz, and how it was working for the film.

Question 1: I read before that you did an interview, and you replied that you didn’t like jazz. Can you tell us briefly how you got to work on the music of the jazz-centric comic book, “Sakamichi no Apollon”?

Jazz isn’t so much about the sounds. It is about the life of the players, how they bring themselves into it. This time it is Matsunaga and Ishikawa’s work. Even now, I do not quite know what it is in jazz that I should enjoy.

Sakamichi no Apollon is a jazz-centric comic book, but it’s not something that discusses jazz history or the beauty of jazz. It’s a comic book that depicts people.

If I hear that Director Watanabe has put together music into any subject matter, I will want to see it regardless of the music genre contained in it.

Question 2: You and Director Shinichiro Watanabe have been a team since “Cowboy Bebop” *. The big band arrangement of the OP “Tank!” is impressive. The central theme of Sakamichi no Apollon are jazz standards, but were there any specific requests coming from the director?

He told me that the originals** must be treated with importance. The jazz standards were basically as they were from the originals. At first I planned not to touch those. But there were some scenes that didn’t match up, so I gave some advice. But since the rendition is a standard, I let the musicians do as they please. The director says, “it’s not put together well”, or “it’s not complete”…

Question 3: I have a question for you, even if you dislike jazz. Would you recommend some famous jazz recordings?

I’m sorry, I really don’t know, I don’t have any.

Question 4: Anyway, please tell us, what is one of your works that you would like people who only listen to jazz to hear?

What is one work of mine, which I would like people who love jazz to listen to? Hmm… I am a craftsman. If I had an objective to write music only for people who liked jazz, then I would have made one. But as of now, since I have not made music with that objective, then I feel like I don’t have any of it.

[The next two questions are about her collaborators, not too interested in these, sorry ]

Question 7: You have a lot of fans in Amazon.jp. Please give us a message for the customers who are reading this page.

Thank you for your constant support. If my music has reached you and it has empowered anything for you, then I am very happy.

* The interviewer missed out Macross Plus, which was co-directed by Watanabe, and had many of his signature touches in the film!
** This might be confusing, but the “originals” referred to here are “the ones on record”.

Translation by mai

Thank you to everyone who pointed this out to me.

We’ve previously posted about the Aquarion Evol OST release on May 23, which is dubbed an “Album”. Current info seems to indicate that this release is vocals heavy. But now we get information that the first press of the third volume of the video release will include a “Soundtrack CD”, and likewise the first press of the eighth volume will include a “Music CD”.

Since we’re lacking any sort of track listing, the contents are up to anyone’s guess. I would, however, safely assume that releases not packaged in the video releases are the more important releases. Otherwise it’s sending me the message that they’re baiting the fans to immediately obtain a more expensive product by packaging it with Kanno’s music. “Only in the first press.”

We have only a few vocal songs so far, so to fill in the rest of the “album” release, there must be some BGM in it. I’m counting on an “album 2″ that contains whatever important releases there are in the “soundtrack” and “music” versions. I may be wrong though.