18 track tribute album to the Okinawan poet Baku Yamanoguchi. Artists include Wataru Takada, Tetsuhiro Daiku, Michigami to Funato Rinji Kadekaru, Yasukatsu Oshima with Orquesta Bore and others. Okinawan tunes mixed with tuba, accordion, clarinet, piano and percussion.
Yaeyama are a group of islands in the far west of Okinawa. The tradition and music is quite different to that of the Okinawan main island and this compilation of 15 tracks focuses mostly on the more contemporary and current side of the music scene with artists and songs from the region. The most famous singer of all, Rimi Natsukawa, sings Shokichi Kina's 'Hana', while elsewhere are Mayuko Higa (Juku no Haru), Hidekatsu (Miruku Murari), Parsha Club (Manten no Hoshii) Naomi Kuniyoshi (Getto) and Kanako Hatoma (Nifai-You). Price: £17.99
Yet another Okinawa compilation, this one from an Okinawan label, mostly local roots pop, mix of big names and lesser known. 15 tracks. including Shakari - Taiyo no Hito, Naota Nagayama - Arigato, Motoshi Uesato - Natsubojo, Tink Tink - Hoshi no Sekai, Mamoru Miyagi - Ryukyu Moon, Rinken Band - Funayare, Toru Yonaha - Nishikazi, Makiko Miyara - Recorder II, Isamu Shimoji - Kokoro no Uta.
With just about every conceivable angle on Okinawan compilations covered, here's one that got away. Chill out. Several excellent artists compiled onto this CD that includes tracks specailly recorded by Ryukyu Underground, Wataru Kosaka (and with Gender Sanshin Trio), Sanshin Cafe Orchestra, Moriken (both featuring Kenji Yano), Geetek aka Takuji, Cinema Dub Monks and Manukan. Price: £18.99
Having your song used in an Orion beer ad in Okinawa is like a baptism to the Okinawan music world. Orion having been doing this for 50 years now and this CD compiles some of the songs that have accompanied their TV commercials. 2CDs, 38 tracks including Begin, Parsha Club, Diamantes, Rinken Band, Tomoko Uehara, Beni Arashiro, Kiroro, In-Hi, Shyakari, Toru Yonaha, Hoptones, All Japan Goith, Rubies, The Waltz, Home Grown.
Easy listening instrumental versions of Okinawan standard tunes, but better than expected, due to the high quality line up of artists. These include Takashi Hirayasu and Chuei Yoshikawa- Bashofu, Ayakaji- Shimanchu nu Takara. Moriken - Hana, Haisai Ojisan and Sanshin Cafe Orchestra- Yanbaru Bune, Miramaara, Hana nu Kajimaya. 15 tracks featuring sanshin, ukulele, piano, acoustic guitar and more. Price: £17.99
Excellent compilation of Okinawan Girl Groups from the 60s and 70s released on the Marutaka label. Evocative Okinawan pop from Four Sisters, Shizuko Oshiro Young Stars, Himeyuri Musume, Yara Families, Ryoan Oyadomari & Deigo Musume.
Orion is the local beer in Okinawa and has consistently used local island artist's music in their TV commercials for many years. Why not compile them onto one CD someone thought, and why not? it makes a pretty good album. 19 tracks including Parsha Club- Katsuren Castle, Diamantes- Go! Go! Ahead!, Rinkenband- Arigato, Nenes- Chimgukuru, Rubies- Life is a Carnival, IN-HI- Sorede Eejan!, Kiroro- Latata, Tomoko Uehara-Zan, Toru Yonaha- Nishi Kaji and Begin- Ojijiman no Orion Beer.
Price: £17.99
One of the strengths of music in Okinawa, is the ability to combine various styles with the local music. Champloo the Okinawans call it, meaning mixture. This is a compilation that demonstrates the versatility of the music and various styles mostly performed by young musicians. Rock, pop, reggae, ska, rap, latin and club are just some of the types added to the local roots music blender. 16 tracks and artists including Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman, Ryukyu Underground, Tink Tink, Mimikiri Bozu, U-Dou & Platy, Diamantes, Ryukyu Yamato, Crimson, New Towner, B-Trippers, Shaolong To The Sky, Skaymates, The Beatle Crasher, The Junkey Jap Dogs, Mystic and Hidekatsu.
The thing that makes Okinawan music so fantastic, is it's always been a living, developing tradition, mixing the tradition with whatever is happening at the time. This amazing CD highlights the shimauta champloo (mix) of Okinawan with western music in the 60's and 70's. Tracks include 'Go Go Chimbora', 'Bossa Nova Jintoyo' 'Rhythm Tancha' 'Shirahama Blues' by artists including Yara Family, the Hoptones, Four Sisters and Aiko Yohen.Fascinating, brilliant.
Price: £16.99
Welcome follow up the the well received first volume of 70s Shima Uta island pop tunes. Traditional and modern sounds are mixed together in an entirely natural way, long before the concept of 'world music' when island and western sounds weren't competing with eachother, but in the Okinawan style, came together to create something new. Some obscure and a few well known artists, mostly local singles now released onto CD for the first time. 14 Tracks: 1. Hideo Kioshita & Gakudan Blue Rhythm- Chinsagu No Hana 2.Teiko Taira- Niima No Nushi 3. Rokoru Takayasu- Muruwakaran 4. Takako Nakasonne - Machikanti 5. Hatsue Kise - Oshare Na Tsuruko 6.Katsuo Takayasu - Kateemun 7.Shinichi Mita, Hiroshi Watanabe - Kendo Bushi 8.Kazuko Iha Namida No Osaka 9.Aiko Yoon - Kugari Bushi 10.Keiko Kina, Masako Tokuda - Manshuku Bushi 11.Deigo Musume- Nangoku Sodachi 12.Rinsuke Teruya -Satan Naran Goyanushi 13.Toshiaki Tamasakae - Saraba Nakanomachi 14.Kazumi Tamaki & Kiyomi Tamaki, with Rinken Band.
Compilation of the Victor 'Nafin' label, primarily taken from the album 'Okinawan Hits and Standards' re-recordings of 70s pop tunes and reworkings of standard shima uta. Tracks such as Shirahama Blues, Go-go Chinboora and Bossa Nova Jintoyo, played by a band featuring the wonderful Takero Sekijima on tuba and Yoshiki Sakurai on guitar, who played on Tetsuhiro Daiku's early albums and many other recordings. Elsewhere is Tetsuhiro Daiku and popular local vocal combo the Hoptones. Really rather good. Price: £16.99
Female vocal collection of Okinawan tunes. 16 tracks, artists include Rimi Natsukawa, Yoriko Ganeko, Chihiro Kamiya, Sizzle Ohtaka, Mika Uchizato, Team Kukuru and Coi-na.
In a market flooded with Okinawan compilations (dare we say, following the success of the Rough Guide to Okinawa) Ryukyu-teki has been one of the better series, bringing together some of the biggest names of the Okinawan roots music scene. This 2 CD collection has some of those biggest names, including Shokichi Kina and Champoose (Hana), Nenes (Heiwa no Ryuka, Akemodoro, Ogon no Hana, Bye Bye Okinawa), Rinken Band (Arigato, Murikaroku Bushi, Kampai Sabira) as well as the Boom's original version of Shima Uta, E- Ambe, Miyazawa's Okinawa ni Furu Yuki, Begin (Irayoi Tsuki Hama) and even Bird singing Warabi Gami. CD1. 14 tracks, CD2, 13 tracks. Price: £19.99
Excellent compilation that features some of the best Okinawan music released by Sony, mostly by Japanese musicians, that helped to create the Okinawan music boom of the early 1990s. Most of the classic tracks by the Boom (including Shima Uta), Shang Shang Typhoon, Nenes, Rinken Band, Haruomi Hosono, Akiko Yano, and two enka singers.
Good compilation of Okinawan music that focuses on the pop side of roots. Features the Boom's Okinawan language version of 'Shimauta', Ishigaki folk roots trio Begin, Nenes (the orginal version) cover of a Spitz (pop group) hit single, Akiko Yano singing 'Jin Jin' and a big hit single in 2003, Ryoko Moriyama's 'Satohkibi Batake'. Price: £18.99
Third volume in the Okinawa pop compilation series. This one includes more of the big names such as Nenes, Shokichi Kina, Rinken Band, Begin, The Boom plus Japanese pop duo, Hana Hana and the Okinawan actress Ryoko Kuninaka.
Volume 4 in the Okinawan compilation series features such luminaries as Nenes, The Boom, Sizzle Ohtaka, Rinken Band, Makoto Kubota & The Sunset Gang, Diamantes and Toru Yonaha and lesser known names such as Mother Earth feat. Acoustic M, Jun Togawa, and Circus. Price: £18.99
Released on the Pig Pink label founded by the popular Okinawan group Begin (inspired by the Band's Big Pink album) this album features 4 songs (and 4 karaoke versions of those songs) from the popular Okinawan children's music programme Okinawa no Home Song. Artists include Begin and Tetsuhiro Daiku.
Four more tracks from the popular children's music programme in Okinawa, with four karaoke versions. Artists include Begin and Toru Yonaha. Price: £9.99
Volume 3 of the popular children's programme, that releases a monthly new song, performed by popular local artists. 1. Akira Nishio with Maria / Neebui Kaabui 2. Chihiro Kamiya / Maayaa Kuiiyaa 3. Kensho Chika / Fukurashisha 4. TBO
Good compilation of female singers from traditional shima uta to recent pop. Artists include Midori Iha, Chidori Narai, Yachimun, Kotobuki, Misako Koja and Chihiro Kamiya. Price: £18.99
Compilation of Okinawan songs, including by from Japan, the Boom, Ryuichi Sakamoto and female vocalist, Epo. Argentinian Alfred Caserro's version of the Boom's Shima Uta, plus from Okinawa, Shokichi Kina, Parsha Club, and Rinsho Kadekaru. Good variety of styles and material, although more focused toward the pop end.
Aside to music, Okinawans also love eating. One of their favorite dishes is Okinawan soba. This hugely enjoyable album features 14 tracks all about or related to Okinawan soba and local Okinawan food. Recorded on local labels artists include Shuken Maekawa, Satoshi Kadekaru, Yui Yui Sisters, and The Stars. Mostly upbeat, jaunty numbers about soba, goya champloo (another local delicacy) humerous and catchy. And the tongue in sub title says; all you need is Soba and Okinawan food. Price: £17.99
