Yukihiro Goto is a player of Satsuma biwa (pear shaped lute) one of the strongest biwa traditions from the deep south of Japan. Back in Medieval times, street biwa buskers (biwa hoshis') were a regular sight narrating epic tales accompanied by biwa. During the Edo period, biwa music flourished when biwa hoshis' played not just for the samurai classes but for the masses. In more recent times, there has been little development in biwa music, apart from preserving certain strands, until, that is, Yukihiro Goto. Born in 1960 Goto has developed new material and collaborated with a variety of musicians on different instruments. This album steers fairly close to the tradition, all inspired by epic tales, with only shakuhachi (bamboo flute) aside to Goto's dry vocals and expansive biwa playing. Four tracks. 1. Kiso Saigo 2. Kumagi no Uta 3. Ushiromuki 4. Waga Ko Wa Hatachini

This was one of our favourite biwa albums when it came out in 1997, featuring Yukihiro Gota's biwa, plus accordion from Aki Tamura, shakuhachi from Retsuzan Tanabe and vocals from Chie Abe. It was one of the more experimental biwa albums that seemed to take the music into prevoiusly uncharted yet fascinating territory. Unfortunately the album became deleted but has recently resurfaced on a different label. Seven tracks with English liner notes. 1. Let's Sing 2. Chikubu-jima Blues 3. Hannya-Shingyo 2 4. Ubue 5. Black Hair 6. Ajisai 7. A Drunken Gay Plays Biwa.


Price:   £18.99

Yukihiro Goto is a relatively young player of the satsuma biwa, one of Japan's oldest instruments. His playing is fantastic, with an original and experimental edge to it. His singing style is also his own, not sounding like a trained folk or traditional singer, but in an entertaining semi storytelling way, distinctly Japanese. Eight tracks of solo biwa and singing. Excellent.

The excellent biwa player, who plays the Satsuma style (Kagoshima, southern Japanese) in excellent live recording.


Price:   £18.99