Ikue Asazaki - Utaba Utayun [2002]  *MPC@BrainDead*


In one sentence about this album: It's traditional vocals and melodies set over piano accompaniment.


Ikue Asazaki is an elderly lady (was born in 1935 in Kedomi, Setouchi-Cho of Amami Oshima) from Amami island whose voice is full of character, slightly hoarse and sometimes with falsetto. She's famous shimauta musician, veteran female singer from Amami island (she is now living in Tokyo), who in her twilight years got signed by a major. Her music sometimes borders on the new age / healing. On this album she sings Okinawan and Amami traditional "minyo" in collaboration with pianist.

The three songs on Asazaki's mini-album get re-released onto a full album with six new recordings, and two interludes of voice and soundscape. Asazaki's vocals are accompanied by Akira Takahashi's piano on a kind of Okinawa meets new age piano CD. But don't let that put you off too much. It's actually a pleasant enough listen, designed to soothe the senses rather than stir them. Wonderful Japanese vocalist UA guests on one track adding street cred.

Okinawan island music already has many fans in the west. The music of Amami island is a mixture of Japanese and Okinawan influences sung in a distinctive local style by the island's leading female singer Asazaki Ikue. With simple arrangements featuring piano.


The tiny island of Amami lies almost exactly mid point between the mainland of Japan and the subtropical islands of Okinawa, and musically stands at about the half way point too. It's shima uta (island songs) are a little less frenetic than on Okinawa, it's sung in a highly decorative falsetto style.


See official Asazaki Ikue's website: http://mauvenet.com/asazaki/index.html (written in Japanese) or this site: http://www.artree-jp.com/utabautayun/


What is "Amami Shimauta" ?

"Amami Shimauta (songs of the village community in Amami Islands)" is one of the traditional folk songs of Japan called "Min'yoh (songs of the people)". In Amami Islands, every village has its own "shimauta", a little different from that of other village called "shima". So we can enjoy a lot of variations of the same song, sometimes it likes quite another song.

Although both of Amami Islands and Okinawa Islands are Southwestern Islands of Japan, there are differences between "Amami Shimauta" and "Okinawa Shimauta". As "shima" also means island in Japanese and Okinawan people use this word as island, so "Okinawa Shimauta" must be translated to "Okinawa Islands folk songs".


Release date: 07.08.2002
Label: Universal Music (Japan)


Styles: Amami Shimauta, Ethnic, Japanese National Folk, Traditional Okinawan Music, Okinawa Islands Folk, Far Side Music, Amami Island Singer, World Music, Classical, New Age


唯一無二の朝崎節。
「うたばうたゆん」

Tracklist:
01. おぼくり～ええうみ (Obokuri-Eemui)
02. いまぬ風雲 (Imanu Fuun)
03. 徳之島節 (Tokuno Shimasetsu)
04. ～Interlude～朝顔節 「サウンドスケープ～奄美・加計呂麻島・徳浜」 ((Interlude) Asagaobushi - Soundscape)
05. 朝顔節 (Asagaobushi)
06. 嘉徳なべ加那節 (Yoshitoku Nabe Kanasetsu)
07. 上がる陽ぬ春加那節 (Uegaru Younu Haru Kanasetsu)
08. ～Interlude～おぼくり 「サウンドスケープ～奄美・加計呂麻島・徳浜」 ((Interlude) Obokuri - Soundscape)
09. 太陽ぬ落てぃまぐれ節 (Taiyounu Ochiteimagure Setsu)
10.よいすら節 (Yoisura Setsu)
11.千鳥浜 (Chidori Hama)

Total playing time: 46:15 min


Ikue Asazaki (vocal)
Akira Takahashi (piano, arranger, additional vocal)    


Format: MusePack (MPC)
Quality: BrainDead (-q8/-xlevel)
Bitrate: average ~254kbps

More info about MusePack and replaying MPC files: http://www.musepack.net


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