Kiyoshi Yamaya - 1976 - Ryukyu

Kiyoshi Yamaya

1976

Ryukyu

01. Ryukyu Miyabi = 琉球みやび

02. Ryukyu No Umi = 琉球の海

03. Ryukyu No Sora = 琉球の空

04. Ryukyu No Matsuri = 琉球の祭

Composed By, Conductor – 山屋清 (Kiyoshi Yamaya)

Kiyoshi Yamaya & Contemporary Sound Orchestra:

Bass – Kimio Koizumi, Kunimitsu Inaba

Drums – Kanji Harada, Kazuyoshi Okayama

Guitar – Kiyoshi Sugimoto

Percussion [Latin Percussion] – Tadaomi Anai

Piano – Hiromu Hisatomi, Keisuke Egusa, Minoru Kuribayashi

Tenor Saxophone – Jake H. Concepcion

Trombone – Tadataka Nakazawa, Yoshitsugu Nishimura

Trumpet – Takehisa Suzuki, Tetsuo Fushimi

Vibraphone – Isao Kanayama, Kazuo Yoshikawa

Koto – 山内喜美子 (Kimiko Yamanouchi)

Shamisen – 豊寿 (Toyohisa)

Taiko – 林あきら (Akira Hayashi)

The Shamisen or Samisen (三味線, literally means; "three flavor strings"), is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. All Maiko are taught in playing a multitude of traditional songs and tunes. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix (e.g., Tsugaru-jamisen). (In western Japan, and often in Edo-period sources, it is sometimes "samisen.")

A really unusual set from the Japanese scene of the 70s – and a record that represents some of the higher pinnacles of their recording technology at the time! The songs here are billed as "Japanese traditional melodies by PCM Recording Systems" – and they are hardly traditional at all – as after an initial orchestral part, they they mix funky jazz with larger strings on side one – almost a blend of Kudu Records and Philly International! Side two has a bit more traditional Japanese instrumentation at the start, but again with a more modern setting – then moves again into some nice funky fusion elements, then blends the two by the end of the record!

A lovely album by Kiyoshi Yamaya from 1976, re-issued for Japanese Record Store Day 2021. 'Ryukyu = 琉球 ' mixes Japanese min'yō (Japanese Folk Music) with jazz, funk, and other genres. Well, recommended!