Yoshida Brothers – Prism (Domo, 2009)
Japan’s Yoshida Brothers have become very popular in their native Japan and abroad because of their fiery performances on the venerable tsugaru-shamisen. Despite the traditional attire shown in their photographs, the Yoshida Brothers are young cool musicians who combine beautiful Japanese folk melodies on their ancient musical instruments with contemporary arrangements that include a wide variety of musical influences such as rock, blues, global sounds and jazz.
Their new recording is titled Prism and the Yoshida Brothers have collaborated with an eclectic group of American musicians, such as singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop, who wrote the Celtic-influenced “One Long River” and David Baerwald, the singer-songwriter who provided the track “Mr. Nagano’s Foolish Proposal”. On “Summer Day” the Yoshida Brothers marks collaborate with keyboardist and producer Mitchell Froom. The album’s final track, “End of the World,” was featured on the soundtrack to the Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix film, We Own the Night.
On Prism the Yoshida Brothers reveal a fascinating portrait of their dazzling virtuosity on the tsugaru-shamisen
Buy the CD or MP3 download:
- In North America: Prism. Other recordings available: Best of Yoshida Brothers, Hishou, III, Yoshida Brothers II, Tour 2006 Hishou: Complete Live Recordings
- In Europe: Prism. Other recordings available: Best of Yoshida Brothers, Yoshida Brothers, Hishou, III, Yoshida Brothers II,
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.