SAHO TERAO『My Favorite Children's Folk Song 2』LP
PLP-7991
Format： LP
Price：￥3,980＋tax
Release Date：2023/08/09
★Limited First Edition Pressing
★Covers of traditional Japanese folksongs
The second installment in Japanese singer-songwriter Saho Terao’s reimagining of Japanese folk songs! In Terao’s hands, the traditional music of Japan takes on completely new forms, transforming from lullabies to pop songs; from children’s play songs to somber piano ballads; from work songs to folk arias.
Across 16 tracks, Terao serves as both performer and archivist, chronicling music that’s being threatened by an aging population and youth gathering in urban centers. She preserves the melodies and lyrics perfectly, but modernizes many of these songs, occasionally giving them lush band arrangements that only a musician of her caliber could pull off.
“Tori ni Naritaiya” (lit. I want to be a bird), a song from Shiga prefecture with lyrics that are almost incomprehensible to a modern Japanese speaker, is given a west coast jazz spin, with a hard bop bass line that Mingus himself would have been proud of. “Nakunaiyo” (lit. Don’t Cry) a lullaby from the Amami Islands, sees Terao’s modern sensibilities meld perfectly with more traditional arrangements. The intro, in which Terao sings a capella over hand claps in a call and response between herself and a male choir. You can’t help but imagine that this is how this song has been performed for centuries, and when the rhythm section comes crashing in, the marriage of traditional melody and modern arrangements is complete.
The study of folk music often paints it as music of the past - stuck in the form that it was practiced in at its conception. But folk music, more so than any other genre, should evolve with the people and their music. Terao brings the traditional music of Japan to the 21st century, using her voice and arrangements to breathe life into music that faces the threat of extinction. Released on vinyl for the first time ever, Saho Terao’s My Favorite Children’s Songs 2 is an album you absolutely must not miss.
■参加ミュージシャン
あだち麗三郎、伊賀航、歌島昌智、小林うてな、等々力政彦、やぶくみこ
■Track list
- SIDE-A
- 1. 山口／山口のたこあげ唄歌「山の婆 山の婆」（山口市）
- 2. 兵庫／川西の守子歌「うちのこの子は」（川西市東畦野旭）
- 3. 北海道／アイヌの鬼遊び唄「タント シリ ピルカ（今日はお天気）」（胆振・登別市登別）
- 4. 福島／桧枝岐の守子歌「ねんねの子守は」（南会津郡桧枝岐村）
- 5. 山形／小国の子守唄「やんやん山形の」（西置賜郡小国町）
- 6. 沖縄／沖縄の寝させ唄「耳切り坊主」（島尻郡佐敷村屋比丘、中頭郡読谷村宇座）
- 7. 岐阜／本巣のてまり唄「鳥になりたや」（本巣郡根尾村平野）
- 8. 富山／成木責めの唄「なるかならんか」（射水郡大門町水戸田）
- SIDE-B
- 1. 岩手／遠野の寝させ唄「千福山」（遠野市）
- 2. 大阪／大阪のてまり唄「いちでよいのは」（大阪府内各地）
- 3. 東京／両国のてまり唄「向こう山に鳴く鳥は」（墨田区両国）
- 4. 広島／廿日市のてまり唄「ひいふうみいよう」（廿日市市）
- 5. 鳥取／鳥取の寝させ唄「ねんねんころりよ」（鳥取市赤子田町）
- 6. 宮城／石巻の寝させ唄「こけしぼっこ」（石巻市大瓜）
- 7. 山梨／労作唄「えぐえぐ節」（北巨摩郡駒城村）
- 8. 奄美／笠利の子守唄「なくないよ」（大島郡笠利町）