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Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman

TAKASHI HIRAYASU A Biography Japan�s most vibrant music scene exists down in Okinawa, the sub-tropical islands that lie in the middle of the East China Sea. Although part of Japan, Okinawa�s exotic and colourful music is a unique mixture of sounds and rhythms brought to the islands by its Asian neighbours down the centuries. Only here is music still a part of everyday life, where all people sing and dance purely for the fun of it. Takashi Hirayasu is one of Okinawa�s most successful artists, and one of many pioneering artists who are helping to bring these fresh and exciting sounds to the world at large. Hirayasu started out by playing blues, R&B and rock at bars and clubs surrounding the American military bases on Okinawa island. He discovered an interest in Okinawan shima-uta (island songs) in his early 20s, and started to play the sanshin, the Okinawan three-stringed snakeskin banjo. He went on to join Shoukichi Kina and his family-based group Champloose as guitarist and arranger. They were the first musicians to mix traditional Okinawan sounds with rock on their first album in 1977, and were later joined by Ry Cooder on the 1980 album Bloodline. As a member of Kina�s band, Hirayasu provided the dynamic rock element that defined the sound of Shokichi Kina and Champloose at their prime, and helped to turn the group into a legend. Hirayasu�s pioneering work, combining shima-uta (the local music of Okinawa) and rock, helped to influence a new generation of Japanese rock musicians, among them Japan�s most exciting roots band, Soul Flower Union. During the 1990s Hirayasu began to concentrate on his solo career and released his first solo album, Kariyusu No Tsuki, which brought together all the musical elements of his life in Okinawa. The result was album with an eclectic assortment of styles and sounds, honed together by an accessible and fresh production. He was joined on this album by Takashi Nakagawa and Hiroshi Kawamura of Soul Flower Union, and together they performed a cover of Soul Flower Union�s now classic song, �Mangetsu No Yube�. The recording sessions for Jin Jin, on Taketomi, the smallest of the Okinawan islands, marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship between Hirayasu and Hawaiian slide guitar genius Bob Brozman. Since the release and acclaimed reaction to Jin Jin, they have subsequently toured in Japan, Europe, North America and played at the WOMAD festival in the UK. Wherever they perform, the fun, spontaneity and pure joy they clearly derive from each other communicates to the audience. They both exude an aura of sensitivity, dynamism and charisma, mixed with a refreshing humbleness. So rewarding was this first collaboration that Takashi and Brozman have recorded together again, to produce their second album Nankuru Naisa. Recorded this time in Brozman�s Santa Cruz house, they wisely decided that rather than trying to recreate the moment of the first recording session in Okinawa, they would produce a new and different magic. BOB BROZMAN A Biography Bob was born in New York in 1954 and has been involved in music since early childhood. A guitarist since age 6, Bob discovered National guitars at age 14. In their unique sound, the young Bob found his musical calling. He studied music and ethnomusicology at Washington University with an emphasis on the earliest roots of Delta blues. He has since also become a respected authority on historical Hawaiian music, publishing articles and amassing a large collection of 78rpm records. He has produced five re-issue albums from this collection on the Rounder and Folklyric labels, documenting the best of Hawaiian music from 1915 to 1935. In 1988, Bob rediscovered the legendary 1929 Hawaiian recording artists, the Tau Moe Family. Together they recorded a landmark album, an historic re-creation of the family�s genuine Hawaiian music from 60 years prior. The album was released in 1989 to rave international reviews, including the Library of Congress Select List Award. With N.E.A. funding, Bob began production of a feature-length documentary film about the Moe family and their amazing 54-year-long world tour. Over the years, Bob�s passion for National guitars led him to build a large collection of these fascinating art-deco era instruments. After receiving a letter from the then-88-year-old inventor John Dopyera, Bob visited and became good friends with John and his family. This led to further research, and in 1993 Bob�s massive work THE HISTORY AND ARTISTRY OF NATIONAL RESONATOR INSTRUMENTS was published internationally. He has also written for several music magazines concerning historical and instructional subjects. Since his first solo album in 1981, Bob�s repertoire of recordings has grown by 23 titles to include 10 solo projects and at least a dozen collaborations with international friends. His ability to use the guitar as a portable translator of culture � coupled with his empathetic nature (through music, culture, and language), and seemingly boundless energy � enables him to establish genuine musical friendships based on respect and love of music. Bob�s deep knowledge of musical history and arranging has enabled him to create large band arrangements and direct music for film, radio, television, and stage. In the last 2 years, in addition to several chart-making world music releases, Bob produced albums for Ledward Kaapana and the Asylum Street Spankers; he also continues to generate educational and concert videos for Homespun Tapes and Vestopol Videos, respectively. He continues his search for interesting musical collaborators of all races and religions, thus promoting more understanding through music. World Music network/Riverboat is Bob�s home label for his world music projects. In 1999, Bob and Woody Mann co-founded International Guitar Seminars, which hosts over 120 students annually at sites in California, New York, and Canada. The team has pioneered a week-long, deluxe workshop in which students study day and night with a faculty that includes Bob, Woody, Martin Simpson, John Cephas, Orville Johnson, and John Renbourn. Live performance tours remain the focal point of Bob�s activity throughout the year. He tours constantly throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Europe, and is adding new countries to his itineraries yearly � including, most recently, Australia and South Africa. Bob describes his work this way: �I use metal objects to disturb air molecules in an organised manner. These molecules strike against the listener�s eardrums, generating a small electrical signal to the brain. The brain responds by squeezing out a few chemicals. The listener feels this as pleasure - IT�S A GOOD JOB!� The Story Of The National Metal Instruments � The National line of metal-bodied resonator instruments are the most uniquely American ever made, representing America�s cultural melting pot, as well as the transition from acoustic to electric guitars. Invented by Slovakian immigrants John Dopyera and his brothers, and made in Los Angeles from 1926 to 1939, these loud, shiny instruments were built to satisfy the need for a louder guitar for jazz bands and recording. They were intended for use by Hawaiians and white dance orchestra guitarists, but wound up in the hands of black blues players, white hillbilly performers, jazz and various ethnic guitarists. National made nickel silver Hawaiian guitars, mandolins, tenor guitars, and even the now-rare ukulele! Their design shows a strong Art Deco influence, very modernistic, and a true blending of art and industry. Nationals were eventually made obsolete by electric instruments in America�s headlong rush towards modernism. These instruments have a much wider dynamic range than either electric or conventional wooden acoustic guitars, with a profound tone that is unique among instruments.
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Nankuru Naisa

The day before recording their first album together, Jin Jin / Firefly, Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman had greeted each other as strangers. This time it was different. As we got out of our taxi, at the foot of the stairs leading to Bob's Santa Cruz house, they were like any other close friends � hugging, back-slapping, laughing and joking. Bob had once described the process of playing with another musician, and getting to know them, as �like falling in love, except it's music�. Jin Jin had been like that memorable first time. Wisely, the two men had decided not to try to recapture that moment, but to create a new and different magic. Informed by their experiences since Jin Jin, they would progress in a different, but equally compelling, direction. Their friendship had been further cemented, and Takashi's mind broadened, during the summer of 1999. Bob had invited Takashi to play with him and many of his musical friends at the Canadian festivals of Winnipeg and Quebec. It proved to be a seminal experience for Takashi in the creation of this album: he found himself exposed to more music than ever before, rehearsing, performing and (perhaps most notably for him) playing impromptu sessions with other musicians from different areas of the world. These other musicians were mostly musicians with whom Bob had previously performed and, in some cases, also recorded. For Bob, it was like a dream come true. It was as if he had been working towards this throughout his career � first as a musicologist with an insatiable curiosity in other cultures and then, more importantly, as a musician, exploring and exploiting the kindred and the varying styles of his playing partners, both drawing and bestowing inspiration in an atmosphere of respect and open-mindedness. In Canada, with hundreds of years of musical experience between them and thousands of years of tradition behind them, the possibilities looked infinite as a veritable G10 summit of master musicians gathered. Songs from Jin Jin took on a new life, with contributions from Hindustani slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, his brother Subhashish on tabla, Greece's George Pilali, Chinese erhu player George Gao and the immense backing of Bob's group, the Thieves Of Sleep. Takashi played on songs or performed original tunes with Ren� Lacaille from La R�union, Guinean kora player Djeli Moussa Diawara, French Gypsy jazz guitarist Romane and Cuban son group La Familia Valera Miranda. Then there were those spontaneous sessions � with other musicians, too � that would inevitably start up on buses, in hotel rooms and in any other space they found themselves in, with two essential ingredients to hand: instruments and time. Back in Japan, the rhythms and sounds from Canada began to ferment in Takashi's mind. He found the 6/8 rhythm he had encountered in the music of Ren� Lacaille to be entirely natural for him, and was easily accommodated into Okinawan music. The same was true of the Gypsy swing jazz he had heard in the music of Romane. These new influences, combined with the others he had already embraced � naturally enough Okinawan, but also ska and funk � form the rhythm and instrumental backbone to this album. Whereas Jin Jin was mainly an album of traditional tunes, this time Takashi reveals his penchant for songwriting. The album is very much his story, with tales of growing up in American-occupied Okinawa and the time just after the islands were returned to Japan. It tells of Takashi�s life as a young guitarist playing in a soul and R&B covers band at rowdy nightclubs in Koza (an Okinawan city) for the American military, and of the manic years of the Vietnam War, saying goodbye to friends never to see them again. At the same time as he was playing in the band, Takashi was working as a studio musician for the island's principal record label, Marufuku Records, playing both guitar and sanshin for the leading lights of Okinawan traditional and popular music, such as Four Sisters, Deigo Musume, Yoriko Ganeko and many others. On another song, Takashi pays tribute to one such master of Okinawan music and source of inspiration to him � Rinsho Kadekaru, who died in October 1999. Perhaps this double life, playing both Western and Okinawan music in his formative years, reveals much about the musician that Takashi is today � his roots lie as much in Western as they do in Okinawan music. After recording at Takashi's home in Okinawa, it seemed entirely logical and appropriate to record this album in Bob's adopted home of Santa Cruz in California. Fortunately, Bob's hectic life had allowed him to be at home long enough � just � to rehearse and record this album over a week of intensive work and play. Some of the other musicians involved in this project, either living in Santa Cruz or in other areas of California, Takashi had met the previous summer in Canada. These included Rick Walker, percussionist and drummer with the Thieves Of Sleep and local star of the healthy Santa Cruz world music scene, who has organised concerts and performed with many artists from around the world. Rick has a long list of recording credits in many genres of music, from electronic and experimental music to American folk. Constantly carrying around his latest percussion purchase, or an everyday object that to Rick doubles up as a percussive toy, he is an authority and passionate enthusiast on world rhythms. His personal collection of instruments extends into the thousands, and every available space in his house. Brimming with novel ideas, Rick combines technical expertise with conceptual innovation. Piper Heisig first lugged her double bass into these sessions half way through the rehearsal of a tune, got herself comfortable, added a swinging touch, and didn't look back. Piper is a regular performer around the Bay area with her group Cats & Jammers, and proved herself to be somewhat more versatile in her playing than is her instrument. The only musician unknown to the rest of the group at the time was David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. No stranger to Okinawan music, in 1994 David had already played on the album Koza Dabasa, by female quartet Nenes. Inspired by the sound of the sanshin, with the Latin Playboys he even imitated the instrument's distinctive sound on his guitar to great effect on the album Dose. David brought several instruments along with him, including an eight-stringed Mexican guitar and an accordion. The combination of his Mexican requinto, played with a distinctive style, Bob's Bolivian charango, which he plays with a unique Indian Ocean flourish, and Takashi's sanshin, unfolded a perfect world unison of 6/8 rhythm. Daniel Thomas, guitarist with the Thieves Of Sleep, had taken on the daunting technical responsibilities for the international troupe of musicians in Canada. On this project, Daniel brought his considerable production, recording and mixing talents, not to mention people skills, to bear. Daniel has produced and engineered most of Bob's recording projects and, although in the background as co-producer, is one of the major contributors on this album. Nevertheless, the real stars of the sessions were Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman. Since the release and acclaimed reaction to Jin Jin, they have subsequently toured in Japan, Europe, North America and played at the Reading WOMAD festival in the UK. Wherever they perform, the fun, spontaneity and pure joy they clearly derive from each other communicates to the audience. They both exude an aura of sensitivity, dynamism and charisma, mixed with a refreshing humility. The songs on this album run the full gamut of emotions; past, sometimes emotional, experiences were shared to bring a focus to Takashi's lyrics, while, in the present, the recording was celebrated within an ever-optimistic climate of merriment, occasionally bordering on the ridiculous. The ongoing joke of the week was that a chicken was producing this album. Each minute detail of a chicken's life was discussed at length. Photos were taken with a chicken, one of the five birds that Bob keeps at his home. The strait-laced chicken, it was said, was pecking the forehead of each musician whenever he or she made a mistake. On their previous album, it was noted that because everybody was happy, it had made a good record. At the end of this, the chicken was clucking. Paul Fisher 1 Jidai No Nagare / The Passage Of Time 3:28 (Lyrics: Rinsho Kadekaru, Takashi Hirayasu, Music: Rinsho Kadekaru) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin Bob Brozman: National Bottleneck guitar Rick Walker: drums Piper Heisig: electric upright bass From the rule of China to Yamato From Yamato to America Our Okinawa was changing hands rapidly Our Okinawa isn�t what it used to be in the old days Now, times have changed, Okinawa has been returned to Yamato But Rinsho, your singing voice never changes And still sings in my mind You placed a sanshin case on the street You crouched down and sang What did you think about? You are embedded in my memory forever There are interesting stories about you When you went to sing in Tokyo, looking at the main branch of the Mitsukoshi department store, You said, �Okinawa�s Mitsukoshi is excellent. Look, this is the Tokyo branch!� The first time you took a plane You said, �It�s a little hot isn�t it? Please open the window, let some fresh air into the plane� You are an idol of singers We grew up listening to your songs Rinsho, please watch over our singers forever Dedicated to Rinsho Kadekaru, who is one of the greatest singers in Okinawa. He sadly died in October 1999. Rinsho wrote the first verse of Jidai No Nagare. Takashi, with his deepest sympathy, wrote the remainder. 2 Koza No Machi / Koza City 4:52 (Lyrics and music: Takashi Hirayasu) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin Bob Brozman: National Bottleneck guitar, backing vocal Rick Walker: drums Piper Heisig: wood bass, backing vocal Daniel Thomas: backing vocal In Koza City There was a woman standing on the corner of Gate Street She was so sexy, aged 24 or 25 I was a naughty boy, aged 17 or 18 Everyday I went to and from Gate Street to see her She had a perm, a cute mouth, cute eyes wore high-heels She beckoned to men I was a young musician, working in the American military base Everyday I went to and from Gate Street to see her At that time, Gate Street was in bloom She sold herself to G.I.s Standing alone, I was horrified to see her Lonely in the rain at dawn, as I was on my way home In Koza City, time passed by Okinawa was returned to Yamato It seems that she�s still standing there I have aged, Koza City has changed In Koza City, I search for those days The woman of my dreams, how is she getting on? Okinawa City was once called Koza City and has the largest US military base, Kadena. In this city, many women sold themselves to the soldiers to support their families. 3 Haha No Uta / Song For Mother 3:52 (Lyrics and music: Takashi Hirayasu) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin, six-string guitar Bob Brozman: Weissenborn guitar, charango David Hildago: Mexican guitar Piper Heisig: wood bass Through the dark days after the war Mother, you brought me up Pardon me for my willfulness Mother, I live away from you now I dream of you You take care of me in my dreams Mother, you�ll be 87 this year How are you? Don�t trouble yourself over me I�m all right I live under your protection 4 Nankuru Naisa / Take it easy 5:08 (Lyrics: Takashi Hirayasu and Osami Okamoto, Music: Takashi Hirayasu) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin Bob Brozman: charango, backing vocal David Hildago: National ukulele, Mexican guitar, requinto guitar Rick Walker: djembe, conga, backing vocal Piper Heisig: wood bass, backing vocal Kenichi Takahashi: backing vocal Paul Fisher: backing vocal God is generous He gives me sunlight Even if I take a nap all day long I�m not imprisoned Don�t be impatient, take it easy God knows I�m a naturally lazy fellow and a heavy drinker But I suppose I shall be no more on Judgement Day Don�t be impatient, take it easy God is patient So, I�ll live free from worldly cares, like God It seems there are many troubles in life If you take on so much trouble, you can�t get drunk Don�t be impatient, take it easy God, please take me to the southern island I like the girls wearing their bikinis If there was the shade of the palm trees here I�d drink wine elegantly, and sing a song Don�t be impatient, take it easy �Nankuru Naisa� is the Okinawan way of life. 5 Tojo Nite / On The Road 6:26 (Lyrics: Takashi Hirayasu and Osami Okamoto, Music: Takashi Hirayasu) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin, six-string guitar Bob Brozman: Weissenborn guitar, ukulele David Hildago: requinto guitar Rick Walker: brushes Piper Heisig: wood bass, backing vocal Daniel Thomas: backing vocal I sway to the train�s rhythm Hamanaka, Hanasaki, Higashinemuro I�m looking at the cities passing by The railway extends along the seashore I hope the unknown world will be waiting for me The USA is over the fences I grew up in this city without snow The further I go, the closer the memories get And my favourite music still plays From Radio KSBK, I listened to Caravan From the jukebox, �Knock On Wood� James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations Ben E King, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding In those days I was still 20 At Hyacken Street in Koza City �Three : Seven� was crowded with young American soldiers They returned from Vietnam, tanned brown Their bloodshot eyes were glaring Hey, you boys, I wonder if you are still alive Schoolgirls ride on the train Their smiling faces make me calm They are full of life During the period 1945~1972, Okinawa was under the military rule of the US government. It was used as a supply base during the Vietnam War and, even after the return of Okinawa to Japan, 75% of all US military bases in Japan are still concentrated on this small island. 6 Chim Don Don / My Heart Beats Fast 3:29 (Lyrics: Takashi Hirayasu, Music: traditional) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin Bob Brozman: National Bottleneck guitar Rick Walker: drums Piper Heisig: wood bass This morning, the sun called to me My heart beats fast Because last night I promised to meet my sweetheart tonight I will do the washing Today is the day when I declare my love for her Sun, please go down While you�re in the sky, she can�t come to me I can hardly wait for the night This morning, my heart beats fast I will finish cleaning early, then I�ll welcome you I�ve been restless since this morning I hope you will stay with me tonight The moon appears through the clouds Don�t rain until she comes to me I�m in and out of my house I�ve been restless This morning, my heart beats fast I wonder if she is nearing my home, finished her work I�m afraid she is still at work Oh, is that lady coming closer my sweetheart? It looks like her When the moon lights her up, she smiles at me How cute she is! I can hardly wait for her 7 Aitaina / I Want To See Him 5:37 (Lyrics: Takashi Hirayasu and Osami Okamoto, Music: Takashi Hirayasu) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin, six-string guitar Bob Brozman: Weissenborn guitar, charango David Hidalgo: accordion Rick Walker: drums Piper Heisig: string bass I saw a man on the coral-sand beach We played in the waves for only three days I want to see him, I want to see him The mackerel sky is reflected in a building window I�m filled with heartbreaking sorrow I believe he was born in the island of flowers, fish and birds I want to see him, I want to see him I�m not tired, but I want to be embraced tightly in his arms The old woman smiles at me, the children run with bare feet I want to see him, I want to see him I�d like to tell him, in the dialect of his islands I want to see him. �All the time I�ve been waiting for you� I want to see him, I want to see him I�d like to tell him, in the dialect of his islands �Ichaibusamuny?� 8 Mensoreyo � Toshin Doi / Welcome To Okinawa 4:25 (Mensoreyo lyrics: Takashi Hirayasu and Osami Okamoto, Music: Takashi Hirayasu; Toshin Doi: traditional) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin Bob Brozman: six-string guitar Rick Walker: drums Craig Owens: electric bass Takashi Hirayasu, Paul Fisher, Kenichi Takahashi: Hayashi (Okinawan chant style backing vocal) When you come to Okinawa Please come to the market in Naha City We�ll welcome you many good things Ribs, trotters, boiled fish paste, gurukun fish Please come to find what you want Ladies and gentlemen Please come to buy and enjoy If you understand Okinawan culture You must eat Okinawan food You can make friends Saut�ed goya, boiled sponge gourd Please come to see, thank you, see you soon �Please stop going to the market, Grandmother� Grandchildren and children say to me I can�t stop, it�s my staff of life You�ll listen to the music there Songs, sanshin sounds, �tururun-ten� Sanba sounds, �kachi-kachi� Fingers whistle �fie-fie� Toshin Doi: At the end of the 14th century until the mid-18th century, Okinawa traded with China. During this time Okinawa was an independent state called the Ryukyu Empire. They called the trading ship Toshin, and at that time the voyage was very dangerous. Subsequently, the people of Ryukyu would rejoice upon the sight of the trading ship returning to port. This song expresses their joy. Okinawan people now dance to this song. Sanba are Okinawan castanets. 9 Ayagu 4:58 (Lyrics & music: traditional) Takashi Hirayasu: vocal, sanshin, six-string guitar The street kept clean is the road in front of the residence of Satsuma The most beautiful song is �Ayagu� from Miyako Island Without you I feel the day is long It�s longer than tisaji It�s longer than the root of a big banyan tree My dear, when you go back to Okinawa island Please don�t have a bath in a fountain I�m afraid my scent on you will disappear Because I wanted to see you, I set out from Miyako Island, and hurried to Mae Beach in Watanji When I heard the song of the crow, which can not sing I understood this to be our destiny Tisaji is a long sash. All tracks arranged by Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman except Ayagu All tracks published by Riverboat UK Music except Chim Don Don (music only) and Ayagu, Jidai No Nagare, Toshin Doi (Copyright Control) Produced by Kenichi Takahashi Co-Produced by Daniel Thomas Recorded by Daniel Thomas at MARS Recording Studio, Santa Cruz, California Additional recording by Seigen Ono at Saidera Mastering, Tokyo Mixed by Daniel Thomas at Moon Rocks Productions, Santa Cruz, California Mastered by Mitsukazu Tanaka at Sony Music Shinanomachi Studio, Tokyo Photographs by Hiroshi Tozawa Liner notes and recording photographs by Paul Fisher Lyrics translated by Miki Ogawa and Shunya Hata David Hidalgo appears courtesy of Hollywood Records Project directed by Paul Fisher, The Far Side Music Co. email paulfish@mx5.nisiq.net UK coordination by Duncan Baker Special thanks to Phil Stanton, Sandra Alay�n-Stanton and all at World Music Network, Teruyasu Oikawa (AZ), Haley S. Robertson Designed by Intro Also available on Riverboat Records: Bob Brozman and Takashi Hirayasu � Jin Jin / Firefly (TUGCD1020) Visit www.worldmusic.net to listen to sound samples of all World Music Network and Riverboat Records releases Visit www.farside-respect.com for more information on Okinawan music and other Respect Records releases
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	Title	Length
	Jidai No Nagare	3:27

	Koza No Machi	4:50

	Haha No Uta	3:51

	Nankuru Naisa	5:05

	Tojo Nite	6:21

	Chim Don Don	3:30

	Aitaina	5:35

	Mensoreyo-Toshin Doi	4:24

	Ayagu	5:00

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Jin Jin / Firefly

Within an hour of meeting each other, Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman were sowing the seeds for this album � working out chords, trying out combinations of instruments, furtively glancing at each other for encouragement. Would it work? Would they like each other, let alone be able to make decent music together? There was a tangible tension in the air, if not created by the musicians, then by us, the handful of staff and selected onlookers. They had hardly had time to exchange more than a cursory greeting at the airport on the small Okinawan iland of Ishigaki, before rushing to catch the boat for the ten-minute trip to the much smaller island of Taketomi. Now it was as if the moment of truth had come. Any doubts, any fears, soon evaporated into the cool night air. Smiles broke out that got increasingly wider over the following four days. The two musicians ignited a spark in each other. A feeling of deep mutual respect grew, and a genuine personal affinity and understanding, communicated through the universal language of music. This album was recorded in a small, traditional wooden house of Taketomi, the most unspoilt of the Ryukyu islands of Okinawa, in the deep south of Japan. As flat as a pancake, there are only two hundred inhabitants and no paved roads. Just a maze of narrow sandy streets in the centre that spread out in all directions towards the sea, stunningly turquoise even on the mainly cloudy winter days we were there. Recording equipment was shipped in from Tokyo, and microphones set up on the straw matting of the house�s single room, that also doubled as our dining room and bedroom. The location had been chosen to enable the musicians to immerse themselves entirely in an Okinawan island atmosphere with no distractions, apart from the occasional dog bark, cat fight or crow caw (captured on one song and left on for effect). Most songs were recorded in one or two takes, Bob and Takashi playing together live with only minimal overdubbing added for extra ornamentation. The process would go something like this: Takashi would teach Bob the chords, the two would experiment for about half an hour with different instruments and work out an arrangement, Takashi would convey the general meaning of the lyrics and the feel of the song. Then they would record, and afterwards we would all listen to the playback. Sometimes we would be grinning the whole way through. �It�s like magic!� Takashi would exclaim. On the heartbreakingly beautiful ballads, a hush would descend over us, the two musicians driven to tears on a few occasions. Although both artists have strong and unique styles and personalities, it became increasingly clear over the week that their ideas and beliefs in music converged in several ways. Perhaps no other Okinawan musician would have been up for this challenge. Although paying a healthy respect to traditional Okinawan music, Takashi�s mind is equally open to rock, reggae, African, Indian and Caribbean music. He helped to bring these influences into some of the groundbreaking music of Shokichi Kina, during his time as guitarist with Kina�s band, Champloose. What can you say about Bob, and his enormous capacity to digest and absorb music? Perhaps if music existed in another universe, Bob would be the Planet Earth�s representative for an interplanetary collaboration. He doesn�t just listen to the music, but watches and observes every muscle in his playing partner, the way he breathes and reacts. Hopefully this album conveys the general atmosphere of fun that was had by all involved. Gradually everyone could understand Bob�s wicked sense of humour, and his Japanese came on in leaps and bounds. By the end he was the one shouting �torimasu!� (recording) before each take. We were all surprised by Takashi�s English, some of it taken straight out of a Hollywood movie. Special mention should made, for keeping a sense of joviality, of Kenichi Takahashi of Respect Records. His English had us all in stitches, his endearing vulnerability mixed with honesty earning him the nickname of the �Japanese Woody Allen�. As he said, �I happy, you happy, everybody happy! EVERYBODY HAPPY MAKES GOOD RECORD!� And so it proved. Paul Fisher 1. AKATA SUN DUNCHI Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, Kona Hawaiian guitar This is a song and dance for children. Akata Sun Dunchi is a sacred place. Miruku is a God of harvest My dear moon, My dear moon Where are you going to? Are you going to the west of the island To catch crabs? Lighting tribute lanterns at Akata Sun Dunchi We welcome Miruku When the eastern sky grows light I go to school and say to my mother �Please do up my hair.� Miruku, please come to our island And rule over us, then paradise will come Miruku has come, Let�s sing and dance, we are free and released! Soon on this island, Paradise will come 2. URUKU TUMI GUSHIKU Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, Kona Hawaiian guitar, sanshin-percussion There are three villages, Uruku, Tumigushiku and Kachinuhara In these villages young women chat with the weavers. �If we mis-weave, we can�t make money� There are three villages, Uidumai, Tumai and Mutu nu Tumai In these villages young guys chat about makings salt. �If it rains we can�t make money.� There are three villages, Sunja, Kanagushik and Ichiman In these village, young women chat with the fish peddlers. �If we discount, we can�t make money.� 3. UFUMURA UDUN (MIIMICHIRI B?JI) Takashi: guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, sanshin-percussion on guitar and sanshin This song is a lullaby. A long time ago a Buddhist priest who had his ears slashed and died, became an evil spirit. The mother says, �Hush little baby, don�t cry or Michiri B?ji will come.� In the evening if you follow your mother wherever she goes at the market, Mimichiri B?ji is standing at the gate of Ufumura Udun. How many Mimichiri B?ji are there? There are many. What does he have? He has sickles, swords and knives. He slashes the ears of crying children. So little baby, don�t cry. Mimichiri B?ji slashes the ears of the child keeping late hours and slashes the nose of crying children. Baby, keep early hours, and you�ll get beautiful clothes, Japanese sandals and a Hakata obi. I�ll make you happy on the seashore on March 4. So little baby, don�t cry. Sleep well, you�re such a good baby When you wake, you will get sweets. How many sweets will you get? Many kinds of sweets from Okinawa. So little baby, don�t cry 4. B?B? NU KUSAKAIGA (TO GATHER CHICKWEEDS FOR THE GOAT) Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, Kona Hawaiian guitar Where has your mother gone? She has gone to the field to gather chickweeds for the goat She went with my sister Where has your father gone? He has gone to weed the sugarcane field So we have good sugar He went with my brother 5. HANA NU KAJIMAYA / PINWHEEL Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: charango Hana nu Kajumaya spinning in the wind I play with my friends. I�m so happy This year my grandfather is ninety-seven Let�s dance to celebrate �Kajimaya� My grandmother and grandfather are sharing happiness with each other forever �Hana nu kajumaya� is a pinwheel made of flower or grass In Okinawa people celebrate their ninety-seventh birthday by dancing with a pinwheel The people of Okinawa call their ninety-seventh birthday �Kajimaya� 6. JIN JIN (FIREFLY) Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, Kona Hawaiian guitar Fireflies, Fireflies Drink �sake� in a brewery Come down, Fireflies Come down, come down Fireflies, Fireflies Drink the water of Chibuya Come down, Fireflies Come down, come down Fireflies, Fireflies Drink the water of Kumuji Come down, Fireflies Come down, come down 7. TINSAGU NU HANA / BALSAM FLOWER Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz Baritone guitar, charango We paint our nails with balsam flowers The words of our parents dye our mind The ship sailing through the night Relies on the North Star Our parents are looking after us When the eastern sky glows light, I go to school and say to my mother, �Please do up my hair.� Even if you have the treasure, ain�t no use if you don�t care for it. We must make up our mind and carry on 8. TSUKI NU KAISHA / MOONLIGHT SHINING BRIGHT Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Kona Hawaiian guitar Moonlight shining bright on the thirteenth night Pretty little girl shining about seventeen The big moon rising in the east Lighting up Okinawa and Yaeyama islands Such beautiful moonlight Tonight, let�s sing and dance together 9. ?MAKU KAMAD? (YANCHITA B?ZU KAMAD?) / NAUGHTY BOY KAMADAY Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Weissenborn guitar, Kona Hawaiian guitar Naughty boy Kamaday has naughty hair You have to put your hat on in the sun and play under the tree Naught boy Kamaday has two whorls of hair He is sulking because his friend robbed his cicada from the branch of the Sendan tree. Naughty boy Kamaday feels dizzy He ate too much raw sugar, Hirayachi, Po-Po, And drank some cold water. Now he has diarrhoea. Naughty boy Kamaday has a headache. His mother forces him to take bitter medicinal herbs. Be patient! Naughty boy Kamaday is pretty His grandmother holds him in her arms all day long His father forces him to take the fish extract. 10. CHINNUKU JUSHI / RICE GRUEL WITH TARO Takashi: sanshin, 12-string guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, national bottleneck guitar Mother, it�s smoky, the smoke is making my eyes water What is there for supper? Baby, don�t cry. It�s rice gruel with taro When father comes home from the field We will eat the sibui*, pumpkin, carrot and taro The tofu is tuning on the mill I will eat seven bowls of �tofu soup� Grandfather makes baskets, rainwears made from hemp and palm mats Please eat the soft boiled rice How beautiful his silver hair We celebrate his eighty-eighth birthday An old woman of Menta prays, �cause Sanra missed his spirit She offers a grain of red rice, a cup of �Awamori (sake)� Three incense sticks, and some salt She chats �Toh Toh, Toh Toh, Ah Toh Toh� * sibui is a kind of gourd 11. CHON CHON KIJIMUN? Takashi: sanshin, guitar Bob: Santa Cruz baritone guitar, national bottleneck guitar Kijimun? is a tree spirit. Only children can see and play with him In the moonlit night, I�ll call for you, Kamaday Come to the sea with me The fish are yours, the eyes are mine What does Kijimun? do? He�s an expert fisherman. He catches many fish, makes a lot of money And is going to build a big house! It�s dangerous to catch octopus at dawn while half asleep. The sea is deep from here So I�ll carry you on my back, Kamaday. Don�t break wind, or you shall be thrown Everybody, let�s make friends with Kijimun? We can fly anywhere to China, to America Or anywhere we like 12. TAKETOMI SUNSET Takashi: guitar Bob: Weissenborn guitar Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 traditional All song arrangements by Takashi Hirayasu. Instrument parts arranged by Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman except Track 12, music and arrangement, Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman (Copyright Control / JASRAC) Track 4 additional lyrics by Takashi Hirayasu (Copyright Control / JASRAC) Tracks 9 and 10 music: Shinichi Mita / lyrics: Hiroshi Asa Produced by Kenichi Takahashi All tracks recorded and mixed by Satoru Fujii (Puff Up) Recorded at a traditional Okinawan house on Taketomi Island Additional recording and mix: Planet Studio, Tokyo Assistant engineer: Shinichi Kosuge Mastered by Mitsukazu Tanaka at Sony Music Shinanomachi Studio Photos: Yuji Tozawa Liner notes: Paul Fisher Translation of lyrics: Miki Ogawa, Shunya Hata Proof reading: Miki Ogawa, Shunya Hata Production coordinator, Artist Booking: Paul Fisher, The Far Side Music Company, e-mail: paulfish@mx5.nisiq.net Thanks to Eiichi Imai, Takeshi ?suga, Shoko Mori, Ichiyo Edamoto, Ayako Hirakata, Fumiya Kawamoto, Misa Imanishi, Izumi Wakunaga Special thanks to Jun Mimura
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	Title	Length
	Akata Sun Dunchi	4:25

	Uruku Tumi Gushiku (Mimura Bushi)	2:57

	Ufumura Udun (Mimichri Boji)	3:51

	BeBe Nu Kusakaiga	3:20

	Hana Nu Kajimaya	2:29

	Jin Jin	3:37

	Tinsagu Nu Hana	5:46

	Tsuki Nu Kaisha	3:15

	Umaku Kamade (Yanchiya Bozu Kamade)	3:51

	Chinnuku Jushi	4:18

	Chon Chon Kijimuna	3:53

	Taketomi Sunset	4:00

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