Takashi Hirayasu and Bob Brozman's first collaboration, Jin Jin/Firefly, was such a creative triumph that one hoped the two would someday meet again. Thankfully, it didn't take Okinawan singer/sanshin player Hirayasu and American guitarist Brozman five or ten years to get back together. Jin Jin/Firefly was recorded in 1999, and their next studio encounter, Nankuru Naisa, is a 2001 release. Although the acoustic-oriented albums have some things in common -- both combine Okinawan music with elements of rock, blues, and Hawaiian music -- Nankuru Naisa is hardly a carbon copy of its predecessor. While Jin Jin/Firefly found Hirayasu and Brozman putting their own spin on traditional Okinawan children's songs, Nankuru Naisa is dominated by Hirayasu's own compositions. This CD only contains two traditional Okinawan songs: "Ayagu" and "Chim Don Don," a familiar melody that Hirayasu wrote lyrics for. One of the musicians who joins Hirayasu and Brozman on some of the material is Mexican-American guitarist David Hidalgo, the fearless leader of Los Lobos since 1973. Hidalgo, who plays accordion on "Aitaina" and requinto guitar on other tracks, is an eclectic, broad-minded player who is well-versed in rock as well as a variety of Latin music -- he isn't afraid of a musical challenge, and he demonstrates that Mexican touches can work well on an album with an Okinawan foundation. While Nankuru Naisa is excellent, it isn't long enough -- the disc is only 42 minutes long, and one regrets the fact that Hirayasu and Brozman don't provide another half-hour's worth of material. But that's the only thing that's regrettable about this album, which is as charming as it is risk-taking.
Nankuru Naisa
Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu
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Nankuru Naisa Review
by Alex Henderson
Track Listing
| Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 03:27 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 2 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 04:51 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 3 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 03:51 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 4 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 05:06 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 5 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 06:22 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 6 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 03:30 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 7 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 05:36 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 8 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 04:24 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 9 | Bob Brozman / Takashi Hirayasu | 05:01 | SpotifyAmazon |
