Part of the Okinawan archipelago, Amami is a small Japanese island north of the island of Okinawa, south of Japan's main islands. The music of Amami has many similarities as well as melodic differences. Many of today's Japanese musical instruments came to Japan from China through Okinawa, in particular the shamisen (the Japanese three-stringed lute). In Okinawa and Amami, the instrument has remained almost the same as when it arrived 1,000 years ago (i.e., made of snake skin, somehow similar to a banjo), while dog or cat skins are used on Japan's main islands. On this rare CD of music from Amami island by Kazuhira Takeshita, listeners hear a series of native folk songs, sung in their native Amami dialect, with simple accompaniment from the shamisen. Most of the songs also have a second part sung by a woman, while five of the songs feature taiko (Japanese drum) accompaniment. In hearing these songs, Western listeners can hear a remoteness from their own music, but sung with heart, pride, and even candor. ~ Bruno Deschênes , All Music Guide
