Umeko Ando

"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, an indigenous, long-oppressed community in northern Japan. She sings their traditional songs with Oki Kano on the tonkori harp, who also recorded the album. They are joined by members of the vocal group Marewrew, as well as Ainu percussionists, a string player and a male vocalist who provides rhythmic shouts and throat singing. The call-and-response structure of many of the songs is performed with a mantric, hypnotic quality in a vocal style that can perhaps best be described as elastic, relaxed and breathing. The lyrics praise the lush nature of the islands. They mention the deity Kamuy, who can appear in the form of animals such as bears or swordfish, and the singers repeatedly invite the audience to dance. Listening to this music can be a meditative experience. There seems to be a gentle smile in every note and syllable. This music softly touches the heart.
"Upopo Sanke" was recorded at a farm in Tokachi in the summer of 2003. We can hear dogs barking, a distant thunderstorm and voices imitating animals. The liner notes accompanying the 2LP release collect the anecdotal memories of Umeko Ando and Oki Kano about the stories behind the 14 songs.
Oki Kano is a musical ambassador for Ainu culture who tours the world with his Oki Dub Ainu Band and also gives solo concerts, always playing the tonkori, the five-stringed Ainu harp.
The Ainu have suffered from the suppression of their culture and language by Japan, especially since the 18th and 19th centuries. Only recently, in 2008, were the Ainu officially recognised as a culturally independent indigenous people. As a result of their marginalisation, there are now only a few hundred native speakers of the Ainu language, making it particularly worthy of preservation. This music would not exist if the Ainu had not maintained their culture in remote and secret communities against Japanese hegemony. Thanks to Oki Kano, Umeko Ando's interpretation of Ainu music has been recorded in great detail from within the community. "Upopo Sanke" is a treasure of Ainu heritage.
"Upopo Sanke" was partly remixed by Oki Kano before being mastered and cut to vinyl by Kassian Troyer. The audiophile 2LP is played at 45rpm.

This was Umeko Ando's second album, the follow-up to "Ihunke", originally recorded in 2000, released on vinyl by Pingipung in 2018.