Track Listing
Click tracks with speaker icon to listen| 1 | Hanami odori | 7:07 |
| 2 | Komori uta | 2:27 |
| 3 | Hietsuki bushi | 3:05 |
| 4 | Kiso bushi | 5:04 |
| 5 | Itsuki no komoriuta | 6:20 |
| 6 | Oedo nihonbashi | 5:20 |
| 7 | Kojo no tsuki | 6:34 |
| 8 | Sado kesa | 5:50 |
| 9 | Kuroda bushi | 7:02 |
| 10 | Mago uta | 2:14 |
News & Reviews
- Friday, November 14, 2008
Scotsman: Return of Explorer Series "Simply Wonderful"
"Never again will a record company essay what the producers of the Nonesuch Explorers did in 1967, bringing out a series of superb field recordings to make, eventually, a 92-record set," says The Scotsman in its five-star review of the two titles that marked the reissue of a number of Japanese Explorer Series albums on CD this fall: Koto Classics and Geza Music from the Kabuki. "The vinyl LPs ... brought to light a wealth of hitherto hidden traditions," says the review, and their return as remastered CDs "is simply wonderful, because much of this music—four decades on—is now either extinct or grievously debased."
About this Album
This disc presents important Japanese folk melodies, often centuries old—lullabies, children's tunes, and drinking songs, as well as court music still used today in traditional dances. These cherished songs, mainly drawn from ancient folk songs—the most modern of which was composed at the turn of the 20th century—are performed on the koto, shamisen, and various percussion instruments.
Credits
MUSICIANS
The Noday Family (Ikuta school), shamisen and koto
Nakagawa & Oishi, percussion
Kofu Kikusi, musical direction
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Originally released in 1968 (H-72020)
Recorded at Nangenji Temple, Kyoto, Japan, and edited by Katsumasa Takasago
Mastered by Robert C. Ludwig
Coordinator: Teresa Sterne
Re-mastered by Robert C. Ludwig
Design: Doyle Partners
Cover photograph: Burt Glinn / Magnum Photos
