T-Square (band)
T-Square | |
|---|---|
T-Square performing at Asiatique in 2012. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | Takeshi Itoh Satoshi Bandoh (ja) Shingo Tanaka (ja) Yuichi Hasegawa (ja) Shuya Kameyama (ja) |
| Past members | Masahiro Andoh Yuhji Nakamura Junko Miyagi (ja) Michael S. Kawai (ja) Yuhji Mikuriya Kiyohiko Semba (ja) Daisaku Kume (ja) Jun Aoyama (ja) Toyoyuki Tanaka (ja) Eiji Shimizu Hirotaka Izumi Tohru Hasebe (ja) Hiroyuki Noritake Mitsuru Sutoh (ja) Masato Honda Takahiro Miyazaki (ja) Tadashi Namba (ja) Keiji Matsumoto (ja) Keizoh Kawano |
| Website | tsquare |
T-Square (stylized in all caps, formerly known as the Square) is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976. They became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s along with other Japanese jazz bands. They are known for songs such as "Truth", "Japanese Soul Brothers", "Takarajima", and "Omens of Love", among others.
The band's initial name "the Square" was printed on the front cover of their albums. After the renaming of the band to T-Square the imprint changed respectively (in all caps) and their typical logo became a capital letter "T" printed over a red square. The logo has been modified several times, reflecting the change of band names such as T-Square Alpha (where an α symbol was added to the logo) and T-Square Plus (where the text "plus" was added, centered next to the T in smaller letters).
"Truth" was used as the theme for Fuji Television's Formula One coverage from 1987 to 1998 and starting in 2012. Special arrangements of this song were used as the theme for Japan's F1 2001 to 2006.
The band has won 12 Japan Gold Disc Awards. In the 1980s, S.P.O.R.T.S., Truth, Yes, No, and their F-1 Grand Prix World compilation album won Gold Discs in the "Jazz-Fusion" category. In the 1990s, Natural, Impressive, Human, Natsu no Wakusei, B.C. A.D. and Gravity all won Gold Discs. After more than two decades without Gold Discs, the band won back-to-back awards for 2021's Fly! Fly! Fly! and 2022's Wish as part of the "Instrumental Album of the Year" category.