I must admit that I’ve been interested in Apple’s GarageBand software since its release several moons ago and I’ve had it installed in my ‘Book from the get-go. The new features in Version 3 (like the Podcast Radio Engineer) are enough for me to fire it up again and there are also four new Jam Packs but it’s the “World Music” one that interested me the most. Of course, a look on Apple’s site for the pack doesn’t go into much detail as to what instruments are included in the “collection of over 3,000 Apple Loops played by master musicians from nearly every corner of the globe” (emphasis on “nearly” is mine). Well, nifee to this special report from the iCompositions site, I know exactly what instruments are in the World Music Jam Pack and I must sadly report that there are no Okinawan instruments included with this release. Well, there’s always World Music Jam Pack 2, right? 
[Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog.]
Archive for January, 2006
No Okinawan Love in Apple’s World Music Jam Pack
Published by January 24th, 2006 in Music and Software. 0 CommentsIt’s bloody hot here! I did less than half the amount of walking I intended to do yesterday. Even though I was wearing all my coolmax clothing, the humidity’s so high you sweat just standing still. It was like I was in my own personal sauna. I seriously thought I might faint before making back to the hotel.
Once at the hotel the air conditioning caused the sweat to dry (coagulate, actually) but now I was all sticky all over. Went to my room to nap and woke up to find myself nearly glued to my bed from all the stickiness. Yuck! So even though I was still beat I forced myself to jump into the shower. I was so tired! Don’t know if it was from fighting the heat and humidity or just work catching up with me, but I spent most of yesterday afternoon and last night crashed out. Woke up at 03:00 (08:00 HST) and channel surfed trying to find any English language program or at least one with subtitles. No luck except for a brief news show.
The streets look a little damp but I can’t tell whether it’s from rain or folks washing the sidewalks. Weather forecast calls for scattered thunder storms throughout this trip so I made sure to bring 3 umbrellas plus a Gore-Tex rain jacket.
Myron Akana was kind enough to share the travelogue from his most recent trip to Okinawa back in October 2005. Since I haven’t had the opportunity to make it back to Okinawa since 1999, I really appreciated reading his thoughts and enjoying the sights vicariously through his writing.
Since we’re still under construction here on i-O, I will share his travelogue a day at a time here in the blog… then, I will transfer the information to a more logical place on the site later on. But truly, I wanted to share these gems with you sooner rather than later.
So, enjoy!
Waga Okinawa Kariyushi nu Udui
Published by January 22nd, 2006 in Community and Performing Arts. 1 CommentThe Nakasone Fumiko Ryubu Kenkyusho will be holding a benefit Okinawan dance performance of “Waga Okinawa Kariyushi nu Udui” for the Hawaii United Okinawa Association on Sunday, March 26, 2006 at the Hawaii Okinawa Center. The performance is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. with the price of admission at a pre-sale $10 and $15 on the day of the performance.
Dance performance from Okinawa featuring performers from Ryusei Honryu Yanagi no Kai - Nakasone Fumiko Ryubu Kenkyusho and accompanying dance performance by Ryusei Honryu Yanagi no Kai - Hawaii Chapter - Toguchi Mitsuko Ryubu Kenkyu Sho
Jikata by Nakasone Seifu Kai and other talented musicians from Okinawa and Hawaii
For ticket information, give the Hawaii Okinawa Center a call at (808)676-5400.
Here’s a link that’ll be of interest to the sanshin enthusiasts out there. The website is called “Kankara Shinka” (shinka is the Okinawan word [nakama in Japanese] for: a group, a circle, a gang) and although it’s only available in Japanese, there are a lot of pics up of kankara from around Japan up on their Kankara Museum page. Definitely worth the click. 
[Via simauta 37.6″沖縄からの微熱な話題”.]
