f82
toms as well as iconic musical instruments (such as the sanshin and trikitixa) are other factors linking the two.
Last year I made my third visit to the Basque Country primarily to meet up again with Anjel Valdes, record producer and coordinator for Elkar Records (fR415/416). For about two decades he has been sending releases for review to Japan and for the past few years to Okinawa since my relocation there. Over the years Anjel has introduced me to the roots music of his homeland and to the strong tradi- tion of literary singers and songwriters led by the late Mikel Laboa, and followed by Benito Lertxundi and Ruper Ordorika.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Mikel Urdangarin has been a full-time musician for over twenty years, releasing fourteen albums and gaining a high reputation. Although fluent in Spanish and English, he made the decision early on to compose and sing entirely in Euskara, the Basque language. Anjel was keen for us to meet and so a lunch date was fixed at a restau- rant deep in the Basque countryside. As the food and wine were consumed at a leisurely pace an idea arose that after all these years of exchanging music between Okinawa and the Basque Country it was perhaps time to take it a step further and instigate a real live get together.
Mikel is a self-confessed risk taker (I could see that when he turned up support- ed by a crutch because of a broken bone sustained in a fall while rock climbing). He was immediately interested and promptly put himself forward to be the first Basque
to boldly go to the Ryukyu Islands to learn more about Okinawan music and culture and to play solo and with Okinawan musi- cians. So began the Basque Ryukyu Project.
I
also discovered that his latest album Margolaria (The Painter) is also the title of a ninety-minute documen- tary film about his career. A Basque film crew had already been follow- ing him around for two years and had filmed his travels in the Basque Country and in London, Edinburgh, Argentina and elsewhere. The next step was to conclude the film with a section shot on Mikel’s visit to Okinawa and in doing so to hint at the political and cultural similarities between the two peoples. As well as Mikel taking on a solo visit of five weeks to learn about the islands, meet musicians and play con- certs, there would be a three-man film crew following him around for some of this time. Film director Oier Aranzabal and his team arrived along with Mikel at the end of April on their first visit to Asia.
I’m not a promoter and was faced with the task of arranging gigs for some- one famous in his homeland but totally unknown in the Ryukyu Islands. On top of this he would be singing in a language incomprehensible to potential listeners. This was a step into the unknown but luck- ily there are enough music enthusiasts on Okinawa who are open-minded and curi- ous enough to make it a success. Oki- nawans (and Japanese) generally are very used to listening to songs in English which most don’t understand at all, so listening to Basque was just a small step further.
Getting the right people to help was
key. Ryuji Noda is responsible for music at Sakurazaka Theatre in the capital city Naha and he also runs the music label Music From Okinawa. He was first to come to my assistance with a firm booking for Mikel to play a concert at his theatre and he also took over arrangements for the necessary visa and provided other contacts for further gigs.
Just days after Mikel’s arrival, and with the film crew in tow, he met popular Miyako Island singer Isamu Shimoji at a club in Naha where Shimoji (also the face of the island’s Orion Beer TV commercials) agreed to let Mikel join a Spanish-themed night at the venue. Meeting barely an hour before the event began and with lit- tle language in common, Mikel taught Shi- moji one of his own Basque compositions and Shimoji was able to join him on stage to accompany him on the song during Mikel’s guest spot.
Days later Mikel was introduced to Okinawan-Peruvian singer Lucy (fR328/329) and they had a session together with san- shin and guitar at my home on the south coast, where Mikel settled in as our house guest for the rest of his stay following a week in a Naha hotel. The next week he and Lucy sang together and talked (in Spanish with a Japanese interpreter) on Lucy’s weekly radio programme ‘Lucy No Ichariba Amigos’. The duo Okinawa Ameri- cana (fR422) were also visitors to our music-filled home for a session with Mikel.
All this was just preparation for the main collaboration, which was with Oki-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
