Customer Reviews

Folk Songs From Japan

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My evaluation might be ever so slightly biased, since I created this CD (chose artists and tracks, wrote 20+pp of notes, translated lyrics, co-produced, advised on style etc). So I'll restrict myself to providing information. This grew out of a UK tour by five professional traditional (only a slight contradiction) folk singers and instrumentalists. Takahashi, the leader (not to be confused with the late Takahashi Chikuzan), was born in 1933 and raised in Akita in northern Japan, a hotbed of folk song and festival music. He has been one of Japan's leading folk song teachers, performers and recording artists since the early 1960s, and while living in Tokyo still retains his rural roots. As an academic but also a lover of this music, my aim was to provide a range of styles and genres, some using traditional "smelling of the earth" (tsuchikusai) voices, others more polished: unaccompanied work songs; traditional village dance songs; geisha songs; songs in free rhythm accompanied by shakuhachi bamboo flute; powerful, flashy Tsugaru shamisen "banjo", both in its improvised solo style and accompanying the equally flashy Tsugaru-region vocals; and so forth. Some of them represent the style of village amateurs (who today sometimes keep work songs alive via "preservation societies" even though machines now do the work); others are characteristic of traditional itinerant pros who would enliven a village for a few days before moving on. These are "studio" (auditorium) recordings, but with no editing or fake reverb and mostly done in one take. We chose to record fairly short versions to get a wider variety of tunes on the CD. There are 28 pages of notes, romanized lyrics and full translations. (The company, alas, finally had to sacrifice photos of the group to include all the notes - so let me tell you this is a nice-looking, personable bunch of musicians...) Although there are tons of recordings of this sort of music issued in Japan (including some older field recordings), I believe that this is the only one with full translations (and romanizations) of the lyrics plus such extensive notes. THere is also info on the "min'yō" (folk song) world in Japan in its full variety, plus of course info on instruments, the performers, further readings etc. Well, of course I think you'll enjoy this.

I was amazed at the rhythm, instumental intricacies, and vocal ranges required in these songs. These people have jam sessions. They party like there won't be an other. Japanese Songs two hundred years ahead of their time. Give them a listen. Mariah and Reba would lose in talent comparisons with these Japanese Women. The instumentalist could be playing with their teeth, setting their Shamisens, Shakuhachis, and Shinobues on fire after each set; and diving into the audience.

I liked the review written by the previous person bcuz everything he said about my uncle is very respectful and in detail to what my uncle is all about. But my father as well plays the Tsugaru Shamisen his name is Tateo Takahashi and if you like this CD try Kokin Gumi which is mix of traditional japanese folk songs with a modern twist to it. I think you'll enjoy it as well.

This is a wonderful complilation of Japanese folk music. It was everything I expected and more. The traslations are wonderful and the commentaries in the booklet very helpful.
Look for other venues to buy this CD if you can't find it here for $25-$35. Others sell this CD and ones like it for much more reasonable prices than $50-$125. Mine was from Amazon seller/UK $30. Got it fast/new/good price. I hope that the person who has the rights to this CD will reprint it so that others can buy it at a reasonable price from honest sellers.