Soran Bushi: Compare renditions of this classic folk song by various artists!

Soran-bushi exerciseDei Saabisu Sentaa Yuusufuru 21

Soran-bushi exercise

The elderly folks who attend the day-service center are doing exercises to the tune of Kiyoshi Hikawa’s Soran Bushi.

It’s a combination of a popular enka singer’s vocals and the well-known song “Soran Bushi,” so everyone is energetically taking part in the exercises.

Brass Band: Soran Bushi / Hokkaido Folk Songmyūjikku eito

Brass Band: Soran Bushi / Hokkaido Folk Song

We’re performing the Hokkaido folk song “Soran Bushi” with brass instruments and percussion.

The sheet music is from Music Eight, which every wind ensemble player knows.

Since the opening is layered and builds up, it actually takes solid technique to put together well—even with Music Eight’s arrangement.

Puppet Theater Musubi-za 50th Anniversary Pre-Event: Soran Bushi with Manmaru Folk Performing Arts ProjectNingyou Gekidan Musubiza

Puppet Theater Company Musubiza 50th Anniversary Pre-Event: Soran Bushi with Manmaru Project of Folk Performing Arts

This is a video of Musubi-za, a Nagoya-based puppet theater company that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017.

Under the guidance of Chihiro Yamamoto from the Folkloric Performing Arts Manmaru Project, they dance the Soran Bushi to the beat of Japanese taiko drums together with puppets.

Many people perform the dance themselves, but dancing together with puppets feels fresh and is a wonderful idea.

Soran-bushi / Hokkaido folk song, performed by the Hokkaido Police BandHokkaidō Keisatsu Ongakutai

Soran Bushi / Hokkaido folk song — Performance by the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Band

This is a video of the 104th Red Brick Concert held on June 21, 2016.

The Hokkaido Prefectural Police Band performs the Hokkaido folk song “Soran Bushi.” The main theme shifting from trumpets to woodwinds to trombones after the tempo picks up captivates the audience.

The drum solo was great as well.

[Yoshi Ikuzo] IKZO × Soran BushiYoshi Ikuzo, hoka

[Yoshi Ikuzo] IKZO × Soran Bushi

Just from looking at the title, you might think it’s Yoshikazu Mera singing Soran Bushi, but this video is actually a remix on Nico Nico Douga of Yoshikazu Mera’s “Ora Tōkyō sa Iguda” and “Soran Bushi,” and it’s put together in a very entertaining way.

Wind Ensemble Kazuno Oshima: Soran Bushi for BandOshima Kazuno

Wind Band Kazuno Oshima: Soran Bushi for Band

This is “Soran Bushi for Band,” arranged by Kazuno Ohno.

It opens with a calm atmosphere—suggestive of dawn over the sea—conveyed by the flute, clarinet, and other instruments.

It then shifts into an energetic section that evokes the lively scene of fishermen at work, praying for a big catch.

Soran Bushi JAZZ / Ayaka KinoshitaKinoshita Ayaka

Ayaka Kinoshita_Yoyogi Park SPORTS of HEART 2016.10.15

This is a rendition of the Soran Bushi sung by Ayaka Kinoshita.

It features instruments typical of Japanese folk music, such as the shamisen, koto, shakuhachi, taiko, and fue, but when you listen to the English opening, it transforms into something completely different, which I find cleverly done.

Once it switches to Japanese, the jazz elements disappear, so it might have been even better if we could have enjoyed the jazz vibe all the way through.