Search - Shoukichi Kina :: Asia Classics 2

Masando (tasty)-- Review of Peppermint Tea House

01/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No one captures the soul of Okinawa in music better than Kina Shoukichi. Like the Hawaiians who have the Aloha spirit, the Uchinanchu (native Okinawans) have Mensore spirit. It is a greeting that says Welcome. Peppermint Tea House is an invitation for listeners to be introduced to Okinawan rhythms and melodies by one of the best Uchinanchu songwriters. Highly regarded mainland Japanese artists, such as Sakamoto Ryuichi, Sandii and the Sunsetz and Shang Shang Typhoon, have been drawing from Okinawan music for the past decade or so, but no one does it as good, as loose, or as joyful, as Kina and his band the Champurus (Champloose is a badly anglicized version of the Okinawan word for an Okinawan food staple). CD highlights are the well-known songs, Haisai Ojisan, a song with a sense of humor and celebration, and the subtly beautiful and plaintive, Subete No Hito No Kokoro Ni Hanna O, made all the more gorgeous because of the vocals by Kinas wife and slide guitar by Ry Cooder. Accept no imitations. This is the real stuff. Uchina Mensore. Welcome to Okinawa."