Rough Guide to the Music of Japan [#1]

• Artist: Various Artists
• Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Total Time: 77:30
• Type: Collection (various artists), Compilation (best of), Enhanced CD-ROM
• Genre: World

Review

If you conducted a really exhaustive study of Japanese musicians, you'd hear everything from religious Buddhist chanting and traditional shakuhachi and koto music to heavy metal, alternative rock and rap. Hip-hop, in fact, became huge in Japan in the 1980s. There is no metal or rap on The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan, but it does provide an interesting and eclectic survey of Japanese artists in the 1990s. This CD isn't for purists -- much of it consists of modern Japanese pop -- but it isn't without its share of traditional acoustic sounds. The compilation ranges from the contemporary pop of the Ayame Band's "Hiyami Kachi Bushi" and Kawachiya Kikusuimaru's reggae-influenced "Kakin Ondo" to more traditional work by singer Yasuko Yoshida, shakuhachi player Shozan Tanabe, vocalist Tetsuhiro Daiku and biwa player Yukihiro Goto. The album's most unorthodox instrumentals come from Cicala Mvta (who combines the Japanese brass band music known as "chindon" with klezmer on the frantic "Shi Chome") and Kenji Yano, whose quirky take on the "James Bond Theme" successfully fuses Okinawan elements with surf rock. Like other Rough Guide compilations, The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan keeps us guessing and provides a variety of rewarding music along the way. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Makura	Takeharu Kunimoto	Takeharu Kunimoto	(1:00)
Kakin Ondo	James Shimoji	Kawachiya Kikusuimaru	(6:11)
Fukko Bushi	Nakagawa Takashi, Traditional		(3:11)
Nikata Bushi	Traditional	Michihiro Sato	(3:43)
Takio'l Soran Bushi	Takio Ito, Traditional	Takio Ito	(4:49)
Amagoi Bushi	Traditional	Yasuba Jun, An-Chang Project	(4:18)
Mangetsu No Yube	Takashi Nakagawa, Hiroshige Yamaguchi	Takashi Hirayasu	(4:13)
Hiyami Kachi Bushi		Ayame Band	(3:14)
Moji Banana No Tatakiuri	Traditional	Tadayoshi Ikawa	(1:57)
Utuwaskarap		Oki	(6:05)
Nyorai Shizune		Shozan Tanabe	(4:31)
Ubue	Aki Tamura		(5:34)
Asadoya Yunta	Traditional	Tetsuhiro Daiku	(4:13)
James Bond Theme	Monty Norman	Surf Champlers	(3:04)
Haisai Ojisan		Sunset Gang, Makoto Kubota	(5:15)
Agari Jo		Yasuko Yoshida	(4:51)
Ho Na Mi [Excerpt]	Hiroshi Yoshimura	Koto Vortex	(4:01)
Utage [Excerpt]	Eitetsu Hayashi	Eitetsu Hayashi	(3:29)
Shi Chome	Traditional	Cicala Mvta	(3:51)

Credits

Paul Fisher (Sleeve Notes), Paul Fisher (Compilation), Takashi Nakagawa (Arranger), Makoto Kubota (Performer), Wataru Ohkuma (Arranger), Ichiro Hosoya (Arranger), Tetsuhiro Daiku (Performer), Oki (Performer), Hiroshi Kawamura (Arranger), James Shimoji (Producer), Yasuko Yoshida (Performer), Ayame Band (Performer), Eitetsu Hayashi (Performer), Takashi Hirayasu (Performer), Surf Champlers (Performer), Hideki Nakajima (Arranger), Michihiro Sato (Performer), Kawachiya Kikusuimaru (Performer), Satoh Michihiro (Performer), Koto Vortex (Performer), Takio Ito (Arranger), Yasuba Jun (Performer), Tadayoshi Ikawa (Performer), Kazutoki Umezu (Arranger), Shozan Tanabe (Performer), Hidefumi Wantanabe (Producer), Takeharu Kunimoto (Performer), Cicala Mvta (Performer), Sunset Gang (Performer), An-Chang Project (Arranger)