First solo album for 10 years from the superb Misako Oshiro. Oshiro was born in Osaka in 1936, but grew up in Nago, Okinawa. She is sometimes called the 'female Rinsho Kadekaru' with whom she often recorded. She has a very distinctive voice and is considered a virtuoso sanshin player and possibly the greatest living Okinawan female musician. On this album she is accompanied by Sadao China (she is a former pupil of Sadao's father, Teihen) who sings, plays sanshin and ryukin (koto), Yoichi Nago on sanshin and vocals and by Masao Yagi on shima daiko drum. 14 tracks including Ayagu Bushi, Tinsagu nu Hana, Densuna Bushi, Imin Kouta, Nakuni- Yanbaru Timato and Wakare no Chimuri. Simple, traditional and beautiful and great to hear Oshiro is in fine form.
One of Okinawa's finest female vocalist, often called the female version of Rinsho Kadekaru. Sublime recordings from 1975 of the traditional music. Many of the songs are duets with Rinsho Kadekaru. Excellent.
Price: £18.99
Stunning recording of sublime vocals and sanshin from the 1990s. Classic and lesser known material.
Top female traditional singer, excellent recording, produced by Tsuneo Fukuhara. Price: £18.99
Remastered and rereleased, first solo album by former Nenes leader. Produced by Sadao China, and featuring China's compositions and Okinawan standards.
Glowing solo album from Nenes member. Mainly traditional, features Sadao China. Price: £18.99
Ex-Nenes singer releases second solo album, once again produced by Sadao China. She is joined by other ex-Nenes singers Namiko Miyazato and Yukino Hiyane, and her daughter Izumi on largely traditional and excellent album.
For some reason, while the mainland of Okinawa struggles to produce any young musicians to record traditional music, Amami island, not strictly a part of Okinawa at all, has a surfeit. Nami Makioka at 18, is the latest to record her first album and very good it is too. Perhaps nothing that sets her apart from her contemporaries, and probably without that extra something of Rikki, but nevertheless, this is still an amazingly self assured debut. Simple, traditional, sanshin and vocals.
