For a reason that has so far confounded me, October and November usually herald a spate of Okinawan concerts and releases on the mainland, leading to unfortunate clashes of dates. This year is no exception: The Ryukyu Festival in Tokyo (previewed in this column) in early October unfortunately fell on the same day as two other excellent Okinawan performances elsewhere.
Still, there is plenty left to enjoy. Top of my list is Misako Koja, the former lead singer of the female quartet Nenes. Since she left, about five years ago, the group has never really recovered.
When Koja left Nenes, their Osaka-born producer and keyboard player, Kazuya Sahara, who was largely responsible for shaping the Nenes sound, departed with her. Ever since the two have collaborated in live appearances, but their recordings have thus far been limited to two CD singles, sold only at their live shows. Now, finally, a full album is to be released: "Ama Kakeru Hashi (Bridges Over Heaven)." Again, at first it will be sold only at their concerts; it is split almost equally between traditional and original songs, penned by Sahara, with lyrics by Koja.