An Hawaii ambient album produced and recorded by Makoto Kubota. Features Cyril Pahinui and other singers featured on the Blue Asia CD recorded in Hawaii, 'Hotel Waimea', plus ambience recordings made in the park, a church and at a Buddhist temple. Price: £18.99
Fantastic Makoto Kubota compilation of music from Recife, northern Brazil. Brazilian, rock and club music mixture. Chegada / Abissal E Os Caboclos Envenenados Vento Corredor (Tin E Cacapa) / Tin Gaiola De Saudade / Maciel Salu E O Terno Do Terreiro Maracatu Indiano / Maracatu Nacao Pernanbuco Mucun / Renata Rosa Evolucao de Bateria / Maracatu Nacao Estrela Brilhante O Samba Chegou / Bonsucesso SambaClube Container / Mombojo Caburera "Magistrado Ladrao" Parari / BIU ROQUE Asa Branca / Zabe da Loca Forro Do Camarao (trad.) Olha O Mateus / Orquestra Popular do Recife Atomico / MAKOTO KUBOTA Fuloresta Do Samba / Siba Price: £17.99
Compilation album of Okinawan, Hawaiian and Caribbean songs. Includes from Okinawa, Shima Uta sung in Portuguese, Hana by Sandii, Rimi Natsukawa's Nada Sou So, Yasukatsu Ohshima, Begin, from Hawaii, Keali'i Reichel, Herb Ohta Jr. Herb Ohta, Elodia Kane, plus steelpan, reggae from Thriller U and Tokyo Ska Paradise and Banana Boat (Day O) from Leyona. Easy summer listening. Price: £18.99
Solo ukulele album from vocalist of Japanese rocksteady group Rocking Time. Konno plays reggae (Kingston Town) calypso, soul (You Send Me) Hawaiian (Pua Lililehua) pop (Jealous Guy) and his own tunes on ukulele. Instrumentals and songs. Joining him on a few tunes is excellent bassist Takayoshi Matsunaga (Mute Beat). Price: £17.99
The ukulele boom continues unabated. Latest in the ukulele series is Japanese musicians playing some of Elvis Presley's greatest hits on ukulele. These include Heartbreak Hotel (Takashi Hamasaki), Love Me Tender (Iwao), All Shook Up (Kazumi Watanabe), It's Now or Never (Kiyoshi Kobayashi), GI Blues (Bang Bang Bazaar), Blue Hawaii (Herb Ohta), Jailhouse Rock (Cavaihae), Hound Dog (Kazuyuki Sekiguchi). Price: £18.99
Various Japanese musicians play theme tunes associated with 'Star Wars' on the ukulele. These include the 20th Century Fox Fanfare (Ukulele Cafe Quartet), Star Wars' Theme (Ukulele Symphony Orchestra), Cantina Band (James Hill), Princess Leia's Theme (Kiyoshi Kobayashi), Here They Come (Mikihiko Matsumiya), Hans Solo And The Princess (Hajimeni Kiyoshi), The Imperial March (Kurikorder Quartet), Yoda's Theme (Kurikorder Quartet), Across The Stars (Ukulele Cafe Orchestra). Price: £18.99
Japanese world music band playing various whistles, pipes, quena, accordion, guitar and percussion on a jaunty workout of Scottish, Celtic, Eastern European, and Japanese folk tunes. Price: £15.99
Excellent Japanese jazz vocalist performs standards including Misty, Lover Man, Night and Day, Since I Fell for You, So in Love. Echoes of Billy Holliday. Price: £18.99
