Japanese Music: Music of Okinawa

Music Of Japanese People (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 16, 1993)
• Label: World Music Library
• ASIN: B000001LSK
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #653,374 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Tanchame Dance - China Sadao/Matsuda Suekichi/Myazato Yasuko/Kojya Misako/Hiyane Yukino/Miyazato Namiko

2. Tinsagu The Balsamine Flower - Myazato Yasuko/Kojya Misako/Miyazato Namiko/Hiyane Yukino/China Sadao/Matsuda Suekichi

3. A Courtship Dance Song - China Sadao Group

4. A Celebration - Shimabukuro Masao/Kishimoto Yoshio/Shiroma Tokutaro/Arakaki Manzen/Kakazu Seikun/Miyagi Hideko...

5. A Gossip In Tima Village - Terukina Choichi/Kinjo Seiji/Kakazu Seikun/Shimabukuro Mitsufumi/Miyagi Hideko/Sinjo Takeko

6. Inside Akata Shrine In Shuri - Hiyane Yukino/Miyazato Yasuko/Kojya Misako/Miyazato Namiko/China Sadao

7. A Cute Little Walking-Style Dance - China Sadao Group

8. The Tako Pass - China Sadao Group

9. Journeying Up To Kagoshima - Higa Yasuhara/Nakamura Tsukasa/Akamine Kazuko/Kakazu Seikun/Shimabakuro Mitsufumi/Uehara Tetsuo

10. A Haughty Tax Officer - Terukina Choichi Group/Terukina Choichi/Kinjo Seiji/Miyagi Hideko/Kakazu Seikun...

11. A Love Song - Shimabukuro Masao/Miyazato Hideaki

12. My Dear Kana - Terukina Choichi Group

13. At The North Entrance To The Pleasure Quarters - China Sadao/Miyazato Yasuko/Matsuda Suekichi

14. You Playboys! - China Sadao Group

15. A Lyrical Song - China Sadao/Miyazato Yasuko/Kojya Misako/Matsuda Suekichi

16. A Chinese Ship Is Coming - China Sadao Group

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music of Enlightment, February 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Japanese Music: Music of Okinawa (Audio CD)

This is pehaps the best CD on Okinawa music. It is a fine example of Koten (Classical) music and Minyo (Folk) music, featuring some of the best musicians on Okinawa. Although it came out in 91-10-21, the music is still played today at nearly every major performance on Okinawa, since most of these songs also have a unique dance that accompanies each. Young performers learn to dance by these same songs. It's an Okinawan tradition that has been passed down through generations. The sounds are very crisp and true to the nature of Okinawan Music and their musical instruments, especially the Sanshin (three-string lute). If you want to hear the music that former President Clinton heard when he was on Okinawa, some of these songs are on this CD. Kajade Fu - is a celebration song that is played at the begining of each performance of any Okinawan Musical Event or special occasion, such as a wedding. Tinsagu nu Hana - is a song about teaching your children right from wrong. Kadiku and Atchame Guwa - are normally songs that ends any Okinawan performance, where all the dancers and the audience come up on the stage or in front of the stage and dance together. Some of these songs will continue over and over again until all the people have come up from the audience to dance. All the songs on this CD have a special significance and perhaps a warm memory to those who have spent time on Okinawa. If you have never been to Okinawa, you'll experience Okinawa when you experience this CD. Just try to imagine the beautiful Black Kimonos and the Golden Fans of the classical dancers when they perform to Nubui Kuduchi or the folk dancers dressed in the hand woven Kimonos of the common people as they perform to songs like Shunu Bujo. Then there's the dance confessing the love of a woman to her man when she gives him a hand towel she has woven herself. This song is Kana-yo Bushi. And the last song on the CD (Toshin Doi) was played on CNN evening news demonstrating the colorful music of Okinawa to the United States and the rest of the World, when President Clinton was attending the G-8 summit on Okinawa in the year 2000. This CD is a great buy. It has some of the best songs, the best performers, and will probably be a collector's item. It's also becoming hard to find. You really can't go wrong with the purchase of this CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Acoustic Okinawan music - excellent, November 11, 1999

By 

pinkie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Music: Music of Okinawa (Audio CD)

The Okinawan music is probably a bit more accessible to western ears than mainland Japanese minyo (folk). A lot of this CD features the Sadao China group which was sort of a precurssor of Nenes which included some of female singers from Nenes. China has a very smooth, lyrical style of shamisen playing. The other Okinawan ensembles on this CD are also quite good.