For the 15th time in his career, Grammy- and Golden Globe-winning recording artist Kitaro has been honored with a Grammy Award nomination in the Best New Age Album category for his latest release, “Final Call.”
Kitaro is universally acknowledged as the founding architect of New Age music. His various sound collaborations and resonant, multi-textured compositions have garnered global acclaim for more than three decades with a pioneering fusion of cultures, techniques and spheres of consciousness that are truly his own.
The Grammy-nominated album is a tribute to Kitaro’s lifetime reverence for nature. “Final Call” is a voyage of introspection specifically concerned about how we treat our planet. It’s Kitaro’s assertion that the planet itself is crying out and warning us about potential serious consequences if we don’t address these global issues in a timely fashion.
Kitaro describes his new musical work: “I have always felt we all must respect the providence of the universe. Unfortunately, through the course of time and the growth of civilization, many living creatures that we now know will become extinct. If we don’t alter how we treat each other and our planet Earth, many habitats and portions of this earth may become devastated and eventually disappear. This album is the story of an epic voyage – a voyage of hope that all living creatures can someday live happily in harmony with each other. The story begins from where we board for departure.”
Commenting on his 15th Grammy nomination, Kitaro said, “I’m extremely pleased to have my new album, ‘Final Call,’ recognized as one of the best new albums released this past year. I thank the Recording Academy for and the NARAS voters for their validation of my work.”
Eiichi Naito, president of Domo Music Group, added, “2014 will be an exciting year for Kitaro. Along with his upcoming 2014 Symphonic World Tour, this Grammy nomination for ‘Final Call’ and Grammy Award ceremony will be a highlight for us all at Domo Music Group and Kitaro, as well.”
Dino Malito, vice president at A&R for Domo Music Group, concluded, “Speaking for myself and the entire Domo Music Group creative team, I can honestly say this is a wonderful tribute to the hard work of us at Domo and reflects Kitaro’s dedication to always delivering quality and expertly crafted projects. We’re particularly proud of NARAS’ accolades for Kitaro’s ‘Final Call,’ which amazingly is his 15th Grammy nomination.”
The other nominees in the New Age album category are Brian Eno for “Lux,” Peter Kater for “Illumination,” R. Carlos Nakai and Will Clipman for “Awakening the Fire,” and Laura Sullivan for “Love’s River.”
Nominees in other categories include:
Best Regional Roots Album — Kahulanui for “Hula Ku’i”
Best World Music Album — Ravi Shankar for “The Living Room Sessions Part 2”
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package — Masaki Koike, art director for “The Smith Tapes” (various artists)
Best Classical Instrumental Solo — Gloria Cheng (Calder Quartet) for “The Edge of Light”
The 56th Grammy Awards will take place Jan. 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and air live on CBS.
Simultaneously, in a first for the musician and composer, Kitaro will perform in Eastern Europe with a full orchestra. The 2014 live production will include stops in Warsaw, Moscow, Bucharest, Istanbul and other historic locations. Commenting on the tour, Kitaro says, “It has always been my dream to perform with a full orchestra in these beautiful and historic cities. I look forward to every moment of this coming tour with great anticipation.”
For more information, visit www.domomusicgroup.com/kitaro/.