Teiji Ito

was a Japanese composer and performer. He is best known for his scores for the avant-garde films by Maya Deren.

Ito was born in Tokyo in 1935, into a theatrical family. His father, Yuji Ito, was a composer and costume designer, and his mother, Teiko Ono, was a dancer who worked in both traditional and classical genres. Ito moved with his family to New York at the age of six. In 1952, at the age of seventeen, he began composing music for the films of Maya Deren. He traveled with her to Haiti in 1955, learning ceremonial and secular drumming techniques from the legendary Haitian musician Coyote.

Ito had a long and productive career, composing music for Broadway and Hollywood, drama, and dance. His works feature an innovative combination of sounds and often utilize musical instruments from many world cultures, which he played himself. His music is not as well known as that of many of his contemporaries because few recordings of his music were available until the late 20th century.

In 1961, he composed a score for a New York production of Alfred Jarry's "King Ubu" by The Living Theatre, which was released on CD by Tzadik Records in 1998. He won an Obie Award for his theater music in the 1960-61 season. In 1962, he composed music for dancer Jean Erdman's musical play "The Coach with the Six Insides". In 1963 he composed the score for the original Broadway production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

Ito was married four times. He married Maya Deren in the late 1950s. With his second wife Gail Ryan he had a daughter, Tavia. His third wife was the photographer named Ilene who also played instruments on a number of his recordings, and his fourth marriage was to Cherel Winett.Fact|date=June 2008

He died in August 1982 while visiting Haiti. [ [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B12F6345D0C728EDDA10894DA484D81 "Teiji Ito, 47, Composer For Theater and Dance". NY Times obituary, (August 21, 1982] ). Retrieved on August 14 2008.] The Teiji Ito Collection, consisting of audio tapes, is held by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. [ [http://www.nypl.org/research/manuscripts/rha/ito.xml "Teiji Ito Collection, 1963-1982"] ]

The Japanese American actor Jerry Ito was Teiji Ito's first cousin.

Discography

*"Meshes: Music For Films and Theater" (O.O. Discs)
*"Music For Maya: Early Film Music Of Teiji Ito" (Tzadik, 2 CD set)
*"King Ubu" (Tzadik)
*"The Shamanic Principles" (Tzadik)
*"Tenno" (Tzadik)
*"Watermill" (Tzadik)

References

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/teijiito Teiji Ito ] Myspace
* [http://www.tzadik.com/index.php?artist=teiji_ito Teiji Ito ] Tzadik discs
* [http://www.oodiscs.com/oo57.html Teiji Ito page] from O.O. Discs
* [http://www.nycballet.com/about/rep_watermill.html Teiji Ito page] from New York City Ballet site

* [http://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/rha/ito/ Teiji Ito Collection] from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
* [http://catnyp.nypl.org/record=b6139526 Teiji Ito Collection of noncommercial recordings] from The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
* [http://kingendaikeizu.net/itoutamekiti.htm#teizi Teiji Ito page] (Japanese)