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RES-162 \2,200(+tax ) 3 March 2010 on sale

WARAKU ENSEMBLE
" JAPANESE CAFE MUSIC"


Description of songs

Now, before delving into the description of songs, I would like to make a short introduction of the characteristics of the instruments. The traditional Japanese instruments which appear on this album are shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, fue, and percussion instruments. Especially the shamisen and koto, which are played by plucking the strings, have less sustain, giving out an impression of a hitting sound. The length of sustain of these instruments are lesser than western string instruments with similar structures, such as the guitar. On the other hand, shakuhachi, fue and kokyu, needless to say, have a long sustaining sound in accordance with its structure and style of play. In this album, there are often cases in which two different types of instruments, which differ in sound characteristics, play the same melody (for instance, koto and shakuhachi, shamisen and kokyu). It is very interesting to listen to how the image of songs may vary according to the difference in the sound characteristics of instruments.

1.Sakura-zaka (Sakura Slope)
The big-hit song by Masaharu Fukuyama (Japanese male pop artist). This song was the prelude to the boom of “sakura” themed songs, which was triggered by the 6th song on this album called “Sakura”. Against the backing of the koto, almost sounding like a guitar arpeggio, the shakuhachi plays the melody. A
low-pitch shakuhachi joins from the main chorus, and from the second verse, one more layer of koto, this time a low-pitch koto, is added. The ensemble, which gradually thickens its layers, evokes early spring days when it gets warmer from day to day. Towards the ending, two shakuhachi's play free and emotional solos, which penetrates the soul.

2.Cherry
The hit song from 1996 by Spitz (Japanese pop band). First, on a bouncy rhythm of the taiko, the shamisen plays the melody. From the second chorus, the lead instrument switches to the fue, and then from the main chorus, the shamisen returns to give a vivid performance. Then suddenly, the song changes! For festival lovers, the adrenalin pumping melody of the song “Shi-cho-me” breaks out. “Shi-cho-me” is a standard festival song in the Kanto region, so even if the song title doesn't ring a bell, the melody surely would. You can almost hear the sound of people shouting out “wasshoi! Wasshoi!” (as in tallyho!) as the “mikoshi” (portable shrine) comes along the streets. While the fue continues to play the “Shi-cho-me” melody, the shamisen and koto play the melody of the main chorus once more. A very enjoyable moment filled with playful spirit.

3.Nagori-yuki (Last Snow)
The hit song from 1975 by Japanese singer-songwriter, Iruka. However, it is not widely known that this song was originally composed and released the previous year by the folk band, Kaguyahime. Now, the shamisen in the intro, so to say, acts as the “Yuki no Aikata”, which is background music for expressing snow in Kabuki, sort of like a certain sound effect for dramatic impact. The sound which comes a delayed after the actual plucking sound (something like "be-een") is what is called “sawari”. Other than shamisen, the similar sound can be heard with biwa guitar and the Indian sitar, but sounds which would be recognized as noise in western music culture is rather appreciated as a pleasant feature in Japanese and Asian traditional music. Now, the intro gently introduces us into a world of quiet snowfall. The echo of the kokyu, which for a moment almost sounds like an organ, well expresses the gentle and slightly warm breeze of early spring. The middle-neck shamisen, with its thick and solid sound, is a great match with this song's impressive melody. The kokyu, which joins in playing the melody from the main chorus, is also a great match with the melancholic melody. The beautiful ensemble of the shamisen and kokyu in the latter part of this song is noteworthy.

4.Akai Sweet Pea (Red Sweet Pea)
The hit song from 1982 by Seiko Matsuda (Japanese female pop star), which was also aired repeatedly in the NHK morning TV series “Dan Dan” (2008). The version on this album features an ensemble between a 20-string koto and a fue. It is almost surprising how the intro of this song suits the tone of the koto so much. The same goes for the fue, which gently sings the melody. In the latter part, the koto takes up the melody line, but the unison between the fue and koto, and also the big ensemble towards the ending with various instruments is heartwarming.

5.Dou-you (Children's song) medley
This children's song medley, compiled by songs based on the theme of spring, starts with “Oboro zukiyo” (shady moon) played by the shakuhachi. Almost like minimal music, the looped phrase of the koto casts an atmosphere of an ambient night. After a one-breath pause, the phrase of the koto changes, and the shamisen plays “Haru no Ogawa” (spring river), followed by the fue playing the melody of “Dojokko-funakko” (baby weatherfish and baby carps), laying out nostalgic scenery of the Japanese countryside. By the bickering clear stream of melting snow water, new lives are being created... That is the sort of image that comes to mind. After the koto ends its phrase, the kokyu begins to play “Hana” (flower). The little stream has now turned into a relaxed flow of a big river running through the town. The last melody, which bounces like a school song, evokes the streetscape of Meiji and Taisho era (1868 - 1926). And lastly, a reprise of “Oboro zukiyo”. The shamisen and kokyu appear once again to finish off one fine spring day.

6.Sakura
The hit song from Naotaro Moriyama's (Japanese male pop artist) debut album, released in 2003, which triggered the boom of “sakura” themed songs. This song was Moriyama's big break and he suddenly became a superstar with this single hit song. The opening (or introductory) tune of this version is “Ume wa Saita ka” (Have the plum trees blossomed?) by the fue and percussion instruments. The heavy and serious arrangement, almost like “gagaku” (Japanese ancient court music), is quite interesting. As if answering to the intro's call, the koto now makes its entry. As the koto beats out a bouncing rhythm somewhat like Bossa Nova, the kokyu overlaps with the melody. From the main chorus, percussion instruments join in, and from the second verse, the fue takes on the melody, to press forward vibrantly. The kokyu's solo towards the ending is also strong.

7.Owari no Kisetsu (Season of ending)
A quite surprising selection amongst the other popular songs. This song is originally by Haruomi Hosono, one V.I.P. of the Japanese pop scene, and was included in his first solo album “Hosono House” from 1973, after his band, Happy End broke up. Almost like a murmur, the monotone melody matches very well with the shamisen's short notes. The harmony between the two shamisens, middle-neck and low-pitch is also very interesting.

8.Haru nanoni (But it's spring)
This song, which starts with the shakuhachi's emotional melody, is the hit song from 1983 by Yoshie Kashiwabara (Japanese female pop artist). The composer is Miyuki Nakajima (Japanese female singer-songwriter). Eventually, the fue picks up the melody line. The ensemble between the shakuhachi and fue is exquisite, accompanied by an impressive backing performance by the koto and suzu. A simple and natural, yet very strong arrangement.

9.Haru yo, koi (Spring, please come)
A composition from 1994 by Yumi Matsutoya (a.k.a. Yumin). It was the main theme song for the NHK morning TV drama series of the same year, and here, the impressive intro is played by the koto in a refreshing manner. Not only with this particular song, but with the entire album, the koto does an outstanding job in all fields, from the intro, to accompaniment, to melody. Don't miss the koto solo in this song. The melody is passed on to the shakuhachi and then the kokyu, and the shamisen feeds into them. With the koto solidifying the foundation, the ample ensemble creates a beautiful piece.

10.Haru ichiban (First spring breeze)
Not only a classic hit song from 1976 by the Japanese female pop trio, The Candies, but also popular as a party stunt tune done with choreography. The brisk and speedy intro is perfectly reproduced by the tsuzumi. This song also features the entire lot, the shakuhachi, fue, koto, shamisen, kokyu and percussion instruments, all with lively spirit. The arrangement which applies various Japanese traditional instruments to the impressive phrases that appear in the original song is quite admirable.

11.Genroku hanami odori (Cherry blossom dance song from Genroku period)
This seems to be the only authentic Japanese song on the album, but it should sound familiar to many people since it was frequently featured on the popular comedy TV program “It's 8 O'clock, All Gather!”, and also used as the entrance song for popular Rakugo (comic storyteller) performers such as Enraku Sanyutei, etc. In fact, it was also included in Takeshi Terauchi's (popular guitar player) repertoire. From the title, one may think the song was made in the Edo era, but actually is a popular “naga-uta” (long epic song), which was first performed in 1878 (Meiji period 11) at the grand opening of Shintomi Kabuki Theater in Tokyo. The song's theme is based on the Genroku period when the popular culture of the common people had flourished. A great-flamboyant song, singing about people of all kinds, such as samurai, merchants, courtesans, etc., dancing to the same song.

12.Hohoemi gaeshi (Returning a smile with a smile)
Rounding out the album is another song by The Candies. This was their last song released in 1978, upon their declaration of returning to “normal girls”. The lyrics contain song titles and episodes from their past hit songs. This is a simple arrangement with the shakuhachi, fue and koto. The Latin sounding percussion which appears in the latter half provides a fun and happy feeling. An appropriate piece for the ending of the album, with its relaxed and grand atmosphere, taking a different and fresh approach to the original song.



Description of Instruments

Shakuhachi, Fue
The flute that often appears in period dramas, which Zen monks are often seen blowing is called “shakuhachi". The flute that “Ushiwakamaru" (childhood nickname for a well known samurai) blows by moonlight is called “fue". Since this description may seem a bit rough, to put it in a more decent way, the shakuhachi is a flute which is a hollow bamboo cut at both ends of the bamboo joints, and then one end is cut diagonally to provide an embouchure hole, and has 5 finger holes. Since there are only 5 holes to obtain different notes, in order to blow a western scale, one must seek different ways of fingering (pressing) and blowing. There are different types of shakuhachi with 7 finger holes and 9 finger holes for this reason, but for this recording, only the 5 finger-holed shakuhachi was used. High skills are required to play the 5 finger holed shakuhachi. The shakuhachi is used broadly in various types of music, from “Koten-honkyoku" (shakuhachi solo), which the Zen monks in period dramas perform, to “Sankyoku-gassou" (trio) which are a combination of koto, shamisen and shakuhachi, and also in traditional folk songs and contemporary Japanese music, etc. The shakuhachi is also very popular among fans of Japanese music abroad. Regarding the fue (Japanese transverse flute/bamboo flute), the type of fue which was used for this recording is called the “shino-bue", a thin bamboo stick with an embouchure hole and finger holes. The shino-bue is an instrument essential to traditional popular Japanese music, such as festival music or traditional folk songs, etc. Both the shakuhachi and the fue come in different lengths according to the tonality.

 

Koto
Koto is widely known as the typical Japanese music instrument representing the genre. It has 13 strings, all of which are supported by individual bridges. Notes are obtained by moving these bridges. For this reason, all bridges must be relocated whenever the key of the song changes. The 13-string koto being the basic type, there are also the 17-string koto created by Michio Miyagi (composer of “Haru no Umi", 1894 - 1956), and furthermore widening the range, 20-string and 25-string. For this recording, the 13 strings,17-string and the 20-string were used.
Now, as for the kanji (chinese character) for “koto", the proper character would be “箏” instead of the commonly used “琴”. The characters used for expressing both the koto song and koto player would include “箏”. Originally, the “琴” is an instrument which is performed by pressing the strings with fingers and not by moving the bridges, and to be exact, is actually a different instrument. However, since the commonly used character for this instrument is “琴”, we will use the character “琴” to express “koto" herein.

Shamisen
A simple string instrument made up of an animal-skinned wooden body with a finger neck, and only three strings. The original form is said to have traveled from China via Ryukyu Islands, during the Muromachi Eiroku era (1558 ~ 1569). In the Ryukyu Islands, the snake-skinned body remained, and as it travelled to the mainlands of Japan, the skin changed from snakes to critters. Nowadays, the skin is usually of cat or dog. There are three sizes, “hoso-zao" (thin-neck), “chu-zao" (middle-neck) and “futo-zao" (thick-neck), depending on the thickness of the neck and size of the body. As the type of music differs, the type of shamisen differs, such as, for “Naga-uta" (long epic songs) the shamisen type would be thin-neck, but for “Tokiwazu" , “Kiyomoto" (certain types of puppet play music) "Ha-uta"(popular songs of Edo period) and "Minyo"(traditional folk song). it would be middle-neck. The recently popular type of shamisen, “Tsugaru-shamisen" is thick-neck.

Kokyu
The kokyu looks like a small shamisen, but which is performed by stroking the strings with a horse-tail bow. It first appeared in the Edo era and developed as one of the instruments used in the “Sankyoku-gassou" (trio) style, along with koto and shamisen. The kokyu is also used in traditional folk songs, namely “Etchu Owara Bushi" performed at the “Owara Kaze no Bon" festival in Yatsuo town of Toyama prefecture. There are similar instruments in other countries, such as the “niko" from China and “batokin" from Mongolia, but the kokyu possesses the most melancholic sound.

Percussion instruments
Percussion instruments used in Japanese traditional music include drum instruments such as big and small “taiko" and “tsuzumi" (small/big), but the formation of drums will differ according to the type of music. Other small instruments such as bells, “suzu" and “kane", are commonly used in Kabuki theaters for dramatic impact. The most popular image of Japanese drums would probably be the Japanese taiko ensemble, a formation with many big taikos, but this style was mostly introduced after World War 2 and is not a traditional style.

English translation Yoshida Kaori

Member Profile

Tsukuda Koushi (Shakuhachi, Fue)
Born in Ota-ku Tokyo. Since childhood, trains under his father and accomplished shakuhachi player, Issei Tsukuda. Upon beginning his own career, joins Tsugaru shamisen ensemble “Kaze”, which was led by Tsugaru shamisen top player, Yujiro Takahashi. As Tsukuda experiences numerous sessions with musicians from various genres, he expands his range of activities, and extensively tours all throughout Japan. He has been featured on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) TV numerous times. Tsukuda has also put effort in overseas activities, and has visited more than 20 cities in more than 10 countries. Currently, his activities are centered around his solo concerts, and is also an active member of “Kaze” and traditional music band “Chanchiki”.

Sugiura Mitsuru (Koto -13 strings,17 strings, 20 strings)
Born in Toyahashi-City Aichi. Starts playing koto at age 5. Completes NHK Institute of Japanese Music Skills (34th term). Receives top honors at the grand master trial of the Seigen branch of the Ikuta School of Koto. After passing the audition and receiving a prize at the NHK Japanese Music contest, starts his career as a professional koto player in 1994. While continuing to expand his musical activities both at home and abroad as a member of various units, his lifework is based on his self-written and self-performed live activity “Dokusou Hitorigoto” (=Solo Koto's Murmur), playing the traditional 13-string koto, Shamisen(Sing with ji-uta), 20-string koto, and 17-string koto. Releases independent CDs in 2003, 2006 and 2008. Assistant President of “Mine to Umi no Kai” (=Crest and Ocean group) of the Ikuta School of Koto. Instructor at the China-Japan Cultural Center in Toyohashi, Aichi.

Uehara Junnosuke/Band Master (Shamisen - Hoso-zao, Chu-zao, Futo-zao)
Born in Suginami-ku Tokyo. Based in the genres of traditional folk, “ha-uta” (popular songs of Edo period), and “zokkyoku” (party and drinking songs of Edo period), one of the very rare shamisen multi-players who has full command over various types of shamisen, such as futo-zao (thick neck), chu-zao (middle neck), hoso-zao (thin neck), sanshin, etc., This is a rare task to achieve in the sectioned world of shamisen, with various styles ranging from contemporary songs, “naga-uta” (long epic songs), tsugaru shamisen, sanshin, etc., Currently, while teaching young students, he is engaged in a vast range of activities, such as appearing on TV, radio and other media, CD recordings, writing, etc., and not limiting himself to Japanese traditional music, his musical range stretches from Japanese classical to contemporary, original, jazz, rock, blues, popular, classic, etc. Uehara is also involved in planning and producing concert events.

Kiba Daisuke (Kokyu)
Born in Awaji Island Hyogo. From 1994 to 1995, studies music theory of jazz, and piano skills at Koyo Music Conservatory. From 1998, starts to play the kokyu. From 2004, studies classical kokyu under Kazuo Hara of the Nagoya School of kokyu. Kiba developed and created his original four string kokyu. As a player, he engages in unit sessions with the koto, piano, etc., and as a composer, he provides compositions for Japanese traditional music units. President of a kokyu school called “Kinuzure-kai” (silk stroking group) for his disciples. Kiba has also performed at campaigns for big companies such as NHK and JR Railways. He also appears in the movie released in 2009 called “Kamui Gaiden” (directed by Yoichi Sai, staring Kenichi Matsuyama, Koyuki).

Nagata Shinichiro (Japanese percussion instruments)
Born in Tsu-City Mie. Player of percussion instruments, Japanese taiko, and contemporary Japanese music. Graduated Nagoya College of Music. Completed Graduate School of Music at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. Performed at the inauguration ceremony of Lee Myung-bak, President of Republic of Korea (South Korea) as a member of Orchestra Asia. Music director for the musical by Shiki Theatre Company, “Song & Dance 55 steps”. Other activities broadly range from other music direction work in musicals, to recordings, TV appearance, orchestra performance, school performance, etc., from East to West music. A member of Orchestra Asia, Japanese taiko group “Koyu-kai”. Instructor at the Asakusa branch of Taiko-Lab Aoyama.



   
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