Yoshida Brothers
| L-R: Kenichi Yoshida, Ryoichiro Yoshida |
Who are they?
The Yoshida Brothers are a brother duo consisting of
Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida. What
makes them quite unique, even in their home country of Japan, is their use of
the shamisen. What is the shamisen you
ask? It is a traditional Japanese
instrument that looks pretty similar to a banjo, but it’s played with a really
huge guitar pick called a plectrum. It
was first introduced to Japan from China in the 16th century. Originally, the Shamisen was played by “blind
street minstrels called 'bosama' who went door to door as beggars, playing
melodies and rhythms that reflected their rough, povertized life for
money”. After some time, the shamisen
was considered an old and boring instrument that only the elderly would play. However, this all changed with the Yoshida
Brothers.
They were first introduced to the shamisen by their father,
but never took a real serious interest in it until they both had the same
instructor, Takashi Sasaki. Starting at
the age of five, the brothers began to devote themselves to learn the fine art
of playing the shamisen, practicing anywhere from “five to six hours a day”. By 1999 the Yoshida Brothers eventually released
their debut album Ibuki (Breath), which sold more than 100,000
copies. This is an admirable feat
considering that a typical shamisen album usually only sell around 5, 000 copies.
This can be
attributed to fact that they're more “unique in appeal, style and essence than
most other contemporary shamisen players”, by mixing traditional shamisen music
to other genres like “contemporary jazz, hip hop backdrops, mild new age, rock
renderings and world music”. As well,
their style of playing contrasts with many contemporary shamisen players. The Yoshida Brothers tend to sway to the
music and show an expressiveness through aggressive moves.
With the Yoshida Brothers, the classical Shamisen of Japan
has experienced a revival. An
old-fashioned instrument that only elders listened to can be ‘hip and cool’
enough for this new and younger generation.
The Music
Most of their music tends to instrumental tunes, so language should not be an issue. This first song is called Rising. It blends shamisen together with rock to create this hyperactive soundtrack.
This next song is a much consists of only the two shamisens. It highlights the incredinle skills of the Yoshida Brothers as well as their own styles. You can notice that
Ryoichiro tends to play with "a softer
and lyrical approach to the shamisen" whereas "his younger
brother's style is more aggressive".
The Yoshida Brothers were also invited by Disney to create a cover of a song from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. It's a very interesting take by combining the shamisen with a electronic beat.
So what are your thoughts on the Yoshida Brothers?
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshida_Brothers
https://twitter.com/kenichi_shami
http://domomusicgroup.com/yoshidabrothers/
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/030815/20030815_yoshida.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsugaru-jamisen
That's a really cool sounding instrument and a very unique style of music. I liked the second song better than the first, and I really liked the Nightmare Before Christmas cover, it was really cool! I like how you sometimes include covers of songs we can recognize, like this nightmare before xmas one and the chim chimeree one.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that so many Japanese musicians use traditional insruments in their songs. It is very hard to see a parallel in the North American or European music industry. Although neither North American countries have been around for long. It adds a certain authentic and unique element to the music and the feeling that the past is not forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting that you keep finding artists that are unique even to their genre! They can definitely rock thoughs banjo-like-instruments! Very interesting history on the group as well. I can honestly say I enjoy there music as well. I like instrumental music, sometimes more than music with lyrics, sometimes words can get away from the feel of music.
ReplyDelete