a
message from Akemi
I am very proud of Japanese peasants who left beautiful, sentimental,
yet powerful music for us. Japanese folk songs were created by unknown
peasants and fishermen, and they used common language to express sadness,
hardship in life, and joy of harvest. I'd like to share these soulful
music with you.
Twenty some years ago in Northern California, I used to sing my original songs, Jazz, Rock'n'roll, and Chansons. At that time, a friend of mine gave me the album by Hamza El Din, "Water Wheel," the music from Nairobi. In the album, he serenely sings the songs that the farmers in Nairobi have been singing for thousands of years. They sing when stepping on weighty wheels to send water to their farms. The mystical haunting sounds touched my soul deeply. This music was so different from what I was used to, that it drastically changed my whole idea of music. I can't recall how many times a day I listened to this album.
One
day, I asked myself if I would be able to make a sound like that, which
eventually led to me arranging and singing Japanese folk songs. It might
sound a little strange that I found the Japanese folk songs (minyo) out
of the old Nairobi music, yet I feel that the music sung by unknown Japanese
peasants a long time ago has something in common with it. Later, Mickey
Hart, the drummer of the Grateful Dead, invited me to the party at his
ranch, where I met Hamza El Din! I believed that he lived in Nairobi,
and I didn't expect to meet him in California. I still clearly remember
my pleasant surprise on that day.
My strong wish is that not only Japanese folk songs but also all the folk
songs around the world will be handed down to the next generations. May
the beautiful and soulful music by unknown peasants touch peoples' hearts
forever!
Akemi
Iwase
June, 2001
