Although Marihiko Hara had a childhood filled with music of one sort or another, he says early memories of it are foggy. One that stands out clearly, however, is the face of singer-songwriter Scott Walker.
Hara, 36, remembers his mother listening to Walker every day, but it¡¯s only his face on the front of the album cover that sticks with him. Still, something must have sunk into his subconscious as this Osaka-born and Kyoto-based composer seems to draw on a lot of varied influences for his new album, ¡°Passion¡± ¡ª particularly the rousing eponymous track that opens it.
¡°My maternal grandparents were Christians,¡± Hara says. ¡°They were a host family for seminarians, mainly from Spain and Italy. I often spent vacations, such as summer, Christmas and Easter with them. I got familiar with sacred songs, I guess.¡±
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