Irish music legend Donal Lunny (now living in Okinawa), extraordinary sax player Kazutoki Umezu and kalimba player Hiromi Kondo of Amana got together for the Peace Music Festa! on Henoko Beach in Okinawa in February 2007. They enjoyed it so much they decided to make a 4 track charity maxi single, with each contributing one tune each, plus one traditional song. There's a serious side to this record, as the US and Japanese governments by continuing with the Camp Schwab construction plan look set to destroy the remaining habitat of the rare marine mammal, the dugong, a relative of the manatee that feeds on the coral reefs and seagrass beds of Henoko Bay. Fewer than 50 dugongs survive in the area and it is feared the mammal will become extinct. Kazutoki Umezu - clarinet, soprano sax. Hiromi Kondo - kalimba, mbira, Donal Lunny- bouzouki, keyboards, bodhran. 1. Henoko Dugongs 2. Cunla 3. Song for Chico Mendes 4. Full Moon Sea - Chimudinka.
Trio from Hakata play old swing and jive songs, including jive arrangements of some Hank Williams songs. Good vocals, lively performance with a large dose of humour. Price: £14.99
You can find just about any kind of music in Japan, including now a Jug band. 30s and 40s jive jump blues played by a duo on guitar and bass citing influences such as Slim Gaillard.
More melodion meets cajon meets darbuka meets djembe meets balafon etc..Unique music, played with great skill. Price: £17.99
Uoo Moo consists of three musicians; Fumihiko Natsuaki on kalimba, melodion, jew's harp, Yuko on udu drum, djembe, shakers, cajon and Kazuhiro Minowa on darbuka, digeridoo and frame drum. As you might expect they play a world mixture that could have been the kind of thing you hear incessantly coming from the djembe tent at a WOMAD festival. Instead, Uoo Moo perform an intelligent, slightly jazzy, highly percussive blend of music that for some reason the Japanese seem to be particularly adept at. African, European, Central Asian, Middle Eastern music and more are all thrown together but it comes out in an original and highly listenable way.
Sayaka is a talented Japanese Irish harp player. She started to play aged eleven and a few years later learnt from various harp players during short stays in the USA, Scotland and Ireland including Philip Boulding of Magical Strings (USA), William Jackson of Ossian (Scotland), Patsy Seddon of Sileas (Scotland) and Laoise Kelly of Bumblebees(Ireland). Between 2000 and 2002 she studied in Ireland, especially Irish harp under Kathleen Loughnane in Galway, Ireland. After returning to Japan, she watched the anime film by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away and loved not only the movie but the music. This music and other tunes on the anime films of Hayao Miyazaki were composed by Joe Hisaishi and Sayaka started to play these tunes by Japanese composers that she found impressive and attractive. Sayaka's first album, includes her original arrangements of Irish and Scottish tunes and her arrangements to suit the harp of music from Miyazaki's films. She has found her own original style and selection of repertoire which she interprets in her unique way. A beautiful meeting of Japan and the Celtic music world. Timeless melodies played with finesse and skill. Price: £13.99
UK top contemporary classical violinist, Alexander Balanescu records album of Yellow Magic Orchestra favourites. Balanescu has already recorded Kraftwerk tunes, and this is in similar vain. Technopolis, Behind the Mask, Solid State Survivor are given a new lease of life. Innovative and expertly performed.
Tracks from the King World Music library, compiled and mastered by Makoto Kubota. Not much more than old tracks reissued into a hip package, but Kubota has chosen well with music from Burma, Timor, Madagascar, Mongolia, Greece, Nepal, Vietnam and elsewhere. Hugely enjoyable CD that is full of discoveries. Price: £16.99
Compiled by Makoto Kubota from the King World Music catalogue of various world music. Part 2 of the equally excellent World Cafe.
Aki Ueda is a Japanese sitar player who has studied under some of India's great masters such as Ustad Shujaat Khan. This first mini album of six tracks was recorded in Germany with guitar, percussion and double bass. Beautifully recorded and performed, an album with a fresh and atmospheric sound combining exceptional sitar and acoustic guitar playing. Price: £13.99
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.
Kuri are Katsu and Miho, playing mainly Irish instruments, such as tin and low whistle and bouzuki, which they do with much skill and finesse. This varied album also includes fascinating tracks featuring the kalinga bamboo instruments of the Philipinnes, kohkin (Vietnamese jew's harp) tambura (Bulgarian stringed instrument) kora (African harp) and ikembe (African thumb piano). Romanian, Greek influences also find their way into the original compositions. Very impressive second album. Price: £18.99
Long before Portuguese singer Mariza became popular on the world music scene, the Japanese have enjoyed fado music. Now, they have their own fado singer too, Mio Matsuda. Recorded in Rio de Janeiro with Brazilian and Portuguese musicians, Matsudo sings a mixture of fado, Brazilian and Cape Verde tunes. She sings mostly in Portuguese and some Japanese too. High quality recording and good performance.
Spanish Connection, a Japanese group that traces the road of the gypsies from their origins in India to Andalucia, is comprised of three talented musicians, Yoshiteru Ito (flamenco guitar), Kana Hiramatsu (violin) and Masaki Yoshimi (tabla). At the roots of their sound is Spanish flamenco guitar, although virtuoso Ito is adept at jazz, bossa nova and other styles, which too find their way into the mix. They garnered an overseas reputation after performing at a world music event in Paris in June 2003. Price: £18.99
Karen Nunis Blackstone was born in Malaysia but these days is living in northern Japan. She sings a feisty brand of folk rock, owing more to Bob Dylan or Janis Joplin than either of her own homes of Malacca or Japan. Instead she plays a global music influenced by her surroundings and background such as the ridiculuosly catchy Namahage Blues (she lives in Akita, home to the Namahage or demon mask festival) or Nasi Campur, a homage to Malaysian food. Hers are quality, well crafted songs, often bluesy with arresting lyrics and themes that anyone, anywhere can appreciate. Acoustic guitars, bass, plus occasional Asian sounding flutes, percussion and violin, banjo, harmonica, beautifully produced, passionately played.
