Eiko Ishibashi pops up in some interesting places. Over the past year, she has soundtracked an Oscar contender, released a string of engrossing electroacoustic compositions on Bandcamp, and appeared on NHK’s year-end music show, “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” as part of pop star Gen Hoshino’s band.
Until a few years ago, Ishibashi was routinely described as a singer-songwriter, but that tag no longer fits. She’s a composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist and session musician. And above all, she’s an ardent cinephile.
“It’s almost like I don’t really like music,” she jokes, speaking via video chat from her home in Yamanashi Prefecture. “I’m just watching movies all the time.”