Fantastic third album from the duo of female minyo singer Shigeri Kitsu and shamisen player and singer Katsuaki Sawada. Kitsu is also a member of Haruomi Hosono's Pan Pacific Mongoloid Unit, and Hosono joins the duo on narimono, small flutes, hand gongs, wooden percussion and backing chants on an album of traditional Japanese folk tunes, together with percusion player Shigeya Hamaguchi. 12 tracks plus bonus track. 1. Goshu Ondo 2. Nishimonai Bon Odori 3. Izumozaki Okesa 4. Kokiriko Bushi 5. Hachinohe Jinku - Nambu Umakata Sansagari 6. Aiuchi Bon Odori Uta 7. Tsugaru Yosare - Nambu Yoshare 8. Tsugaru Oharabushi 9. Yasugi Bushi 10. Okino Taue Uta 11. Gengen Barara- Kagoshima Haiya 12. Awaodori 13. bonus track - Koroishi Jongara.

Tsugaru shamisen is normally a solo style. Fast and semi-improvised, a succession of young players have popularized the music in recent years. This album is tsugaru and other shamisen styles together with some great singing by male shamisen player Katsuaki Sawada, and female taiko drummer and singer Shigeri Kitsu. Superb singing and fantastic playing make this a stellar release. Hypnotic and powerful, comes with English liner notes.


Price:   £18.99

Kitsu is a truly amazing minyo singer, a rare talent in Japan. Her voice is sharp and shrill, with a raw power and emotion. Her voice and taiko drumming is accompanied by tsugaru shamisen master Sawada, these songs performed perhaps close to their original intended style, instead of a modern watered down version. The songs are mostly from the Tsugaru region of northern Japan, but include some songs from Kagoshima and Nagasaki in the south of Japan and elsewhere. Some songs are up-tempo, others more plaintive, on one of the best min'yo albums available. 1. Amefuri Uta, Echigo Matsuzaka (Niigata) 2. Tasuke Haiya (Nagasaki) 3. Kagoshima Hanya (Kagoshima) 4. Kaga Haiya (Ishikawa) 5. Sado Okesa, Tate Okesa, Senkoba Okesa (Niigata) 6. Oina (Niigata)

7. Aiya Bushi (Tsugaru, Aomori) 8. Aiya Bushi (Tsugaru, Aomori) 9. Esashi Oiwake (Hokkaido) 10. Konahiki Uta (Nambu, Aomori) 11. Shinbo Kodaiji Bushi (Niigata) 12. Kuroishi Yosare (Tsugaru, Aomori) 13. Yosare Bushi (Tsugaru, Aomori) 14. Nanimosasa (Tsugaru, Aomori) 15. Jongara Bushi (Tsugaru, Aomori) 16. Echigo Matsuzaka (Niigata)

Definitive 2 CD set of minyo, local folk songs from throughout Japan. Hear tunes from the far north in Hokkaido to the deep south in Kagoshima. 40 tracks.


Price:   £23.99

Excellent compilation of minyo (folk) songs for celebration. Artists include Fumio Otsuka, Kiyoko Iwai, Mitsue Hayasaka, Michiya Mihashi and Hanako Ono. And tracks Tawaratsumi Uta, Nagasaki Nonnoko Bushi, Iwai Medetai, Nagamochi Uta, Ushibuka Haiyabushi, Ise Ondo and Hanagasa Ondo.

Minyo songs played on the shakuhachi, the bamboo flute. The 22 tracks include Nagamochi Uta, Soma Magouta, Yoshi no Kokiriuta, Nanbu Ushiouta, Natsu no Yama uta and Mogamigawa Funauta.


Price:   £17.99

Eishiba is one of Japan's leading singers of kouta, (short shamisen songs). On this latest album her voice is accompanied by shamisen, tsuzumi, taiko and fue on tracks suitable for buyo (traditional dance).Forget the soundtrack to Memoires of a Geisha, get this instead. 23 superb tracks.

Asakusa (Tokyo old town) geisha style singing lady with shamisen. Compilation of her best traditional tracks and new recordings. Tracks are chosen by Eishiba and her recent recording partner Toshinori Kondo. Photos taken by one of Japan's most famous photographers, Nobuyoshi Araki.


Price:   £18.99

Popular songs from the Edo period, similar to hauta or kauta material. Solo performance from elderly singer and shamisen player. Some plaintive, some more uptempo with humerous elements and commentary about the songs given by Shicho Yanigawa. Fascinating.

Wonderful performance of traditional hauta and kouta, or songs from the Edo period. A great document of an important musical culture.


Price:   £25.99

Fascinating compilation of kouta and hauta, kind of Edo (pre-westernization) period love songs. The type of music geishas might sing to entertain with voice and shamisen, and a symbol of Edo music and culture.

Taneo comes from a long line of festival music singers, singing hayashi, the distinctive festival music style.Lively, enjoyable and accessible.


Price:   £17.99

Archive recordings from the 1920s-30s of Japanese folk songs from Nagasaki. Voice and shamisen (Japanese lute) gives a taste of ancient Japan.

Intriguing album of Japanese rapping banana salesmen in southern Japan. Superb.


Price:   £18.99

Recordings from the 60s of blind singers and shamisen players. Japanese griots.

Following on from the excellent volume 1, blind singers and shamisen players, who could be called the Japanese version of 'griots'.


Price:   £18.99

Traditional and classic rokyoku (storytelling and music) from one of the genre's greatest exponents.

Haruo Minami was one of Japan's greatest minyo (folk music) singers. His roots lay in the rokyoku (storytelling) world, and this album goes back to those roots on an album in his original rokyoku style.

Price:   £18.99