Upopo Sanke

Description

Upopo Sanke means "Let's sing a song" in the Ainu language. Umeko Ando (1932-2004) was one of the best-known artists of the Ainu, a long-oppressed indigenous community from northern Japan. She sings their traditional songs with Oki Kano on the Tonkori harp, who also recorded the album. "Upopo Sanke" was partially mixed by Oki Kano before being mastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer. The 2LP is available at 45 rpm and the sound is fantastic. This album is Umeko Ando's second album, following "Ihunke," originally recorded in 2000 and re-released in 2018 by Pingipung with Oki Kano. Listening to this music can be a meditative experience, each note and syllable seeming to contain a gentle smile; this music softly touches the heart. Oki Kano is a musical ambassador for Ainu culture who tours worldwide with his Oki Dub Ainu Band and also performs solo concerts, always playing the Tonkori, the five-string Ainu harp.