Hello All,
I will be contributing a series of entries on Okinawa; many of which have to do with Ryukyuan/Okinawan Music. Anyone familiar with music from Okinawa soon realizes that for such a small island, there sure is a wide breadth of music. One primary goal of this research is, to share with you, the depth of the indigenous lyrical poetry, called `Ryuka`, as well as the various beats and melodies of the taiko, Sanshin, and beyond… My name is Byron Jones.
Okinawa currently is home to a great many genres of song. Among these include Ryukyuan Classical, Okinawan Folk, Yaeyama Folk, Miyako Folk, Amami Folk, American Country, American Rock, Okinawan Rock, American, Pilipino, Japanese, as well as Okinawan Pop. There is also a presence of R and B, Jazz, Blues, Soul, Big Band, New Age, Chinese Classical as well as that of the European flavor. Thanks to the Latin American community (including Latin Uchinanchu), Salsa, Meringue, Bossa Nova, Samba are also present. Traditional African rhythms from the djembe are heard as well as reggae. Hip Hop, house, Euro beat, trance, along with the Latin rhythms are the most popular sounds in the dance halls. My point is two fold. First, is that the contemporary Uchinanchu(Okinawan person) is continuously immersed in a plethora of melodies and rhythms, each with its own story and style. This translates to many more musical avenues for expression, relative to just one hundred years ago. Although this dilutes the pool of musical artists interested in pursuing the traditional Okinawan genres, it also actually energizes the original artists pool of creativity. This manifestation is clearly witnessed in the domination in recent years by Okinawan youth on the Japanese pop charts and foundation of the Okinawan pop genre.
With all that said, in my next article, we will go all the way back,… back to the beginning of Ryukyuan(Okinawan)recorded lyrics and melody – To the times of the Omoro Soushi, and Akainku(Red Dog)………?