Situated in the south of Japan and now a popular holiday destination, the islands of Okinawa were occupied by the USA after the last War and were not returned to Japan until 1972. Well into the 19th Century the islands formed the Kingdom of the Ryukyu. They have a very distinctive culture with its brightly coloured traditional costumes contrasting with the more subtle colours of Japan itself. The traditional music of Okinawa is exciting and while it shows some similarities to that of Japan it is very much "Made in Okinawa".

20 years ago Takashi Hirayasu was amongst the Okinawan musicians used by Ry Cooder on the Bloodlines album which first introduced many in the West to Okinawan music. Now he has teamed up with Hawaiian guitar player Bob Brozman to produce a wonderful CD of traditional Okinawan songs. He plays the sanshin, the Okinawan shamisen which as in China has the sound chamber covered in snakeskin rather than the cat or dogskin used in Japan. This produces a richer and more varied sound. Brozman adds an almost Cajun feel to the music. There are children's songs, lullabies, songs of work, birthday parties (including one for celebrating your 97th) and of love. The mood ranges from the slow to the rousing often within a single song. My favourite is the moving Tinsagu nu Hana (Balsam Flower).

Only a couple of times does Brozman's Western influence strike the wrong note and in the main he manages to pull off the difficult task introducing new sounds and interpretation without destroying the essence of the original. The CD was recorded in a traditional wooden house on Taketomi, one of the most remote of the Okinawan Islands. The simple unpretentious location shines through in this thoughtful but exciting CD. I was pleased to see that the world music section of Virgin had a good supply of the recording and I thoroughly recommend it.

Nenes are a vocal group of 4 women, very popular in Japan, who also specialise in Okinawan music. Inevitably the emphasis here more on singing than on the Firefly CD and it is perhaps a little most populist too. The CD is an exciting and enjoyable collection of Okinawan songs with a very contemporary feel. Also highly recommended it may be a little more difficult to purchase in th UK.