Plum Boy! and other tales from Japan

Editorial Reviews
From Parents' Choice®
Steeped in the culture and language of Japan, Elizabeth Falconer is a storyteller with a feather-light touch. Weaving Japanese words into each story, she's also a master of the 13-string, Japanese koto, and accompanies these colorful Japanese folk tales on that eloquent instrument. In the title story, a boy, born from a plum, becomes a hero when he and his friends-a dog, a monkey and a pheasant-divert a pack of demon thieves from evil-doing and rescue a village. "Kumo the Spider" repays a farmer's good deed and spins not only cloth but clouds. "Issunboshi" is about a boy who's an inch tall and follows his dream to become a Samurai, with magical results, and in "Shiro and Kuro," a monkey teaches a couple of quarrelsome kitties a lesson in sharing. "The Tale of a Snail" paints vivid word pictures of a husband and wife planting and harvesting their rice fields and adopting a little snail, who comes to them courtesy of the Water God, as their son-with rewarding results. It's an unusual, entertaining tour-de-force performance by a gifted artist. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Gold Award.

Reviewed by Lynne Heffley, Parents' Choice® 2000

About the Artist
Elizabeth Falconer (BMI) has played koto since 1979. After earning a Master's License in koto performance, she returned to the states to teach and perform. She studied composition under Sawai Tadao, and began her original storytelling blended with koto music in 1998. Her koto compositions are published in Japan, and she directs the Taka Koto Ensemble in Seattle. She has a solo koto CD, "Isshin: Emerging" on the Music and Arts label, and a second solo CD, "Water Colors" will be released on... read more

Album Description
Winner of a Parents'Choice Gold Award and a NAPPA Honors Award. Elizabeth Falconer, Koto Master and Storyteller, tells Japanese Folktales of friendship and determination with warmth and humor, accompanying her stories on the classical Japanese Koto. This unique CD contains 61:12 minutes of stories and music recommended for listeners aged 5 and up.

Plum Boy! and other tales from Japan

Tracks:

Plum Boy!
Kumo the Spider
Issunboshi
Shiro and Kuro
The Tale of the Snail

Album Description

Winner of a Parents'Choice Gold Award and a NAPPA Honors Award. Elizabeth Falconer, Koto Master and Storyteller, tells Japanese Folktales of friendship and determination with warmth and humor, accompanying her stories on the classical Japanese Koto. This unique CD contains 61:12 minutes of stories and music recommended for listeners aged 5 and up.

Customer Reviews:

A 2000 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner.......2000-11-14

Steeped in the culture and language of Japan, Elizabeth Falconer is a storyteller with a feather-light touch. Weaving Japanese words into each story, she is also a master of the 13-string, Japanese koto, and accompanies these colorful Japanese folk tales on that eloquent instrument. In the title story, a boy, born from a plum becomes a hero when he and his friends-a dog, a monkey and a pheasant-divert a pack of demon thieves from evil-doing and rescue a village. "Kumo the Spider" repays a farmer's good deed and spins not only cloth but clouds. "Issunboshi" is about a boy who's an inch tall and follows his dream to become a Samurai, with magical results, and in "Shiro and Kuro," a monkey teaches a couple of quarrelsome kitties a lesson in sharing. "The Tale of a Snail" paints vivid word pictures of a husband and wife planting and harvesting their rice fields and adopting a little snail, who comes to them courtesy of the Water God, as their son-with rewarding results. It's an unusual, entertaining tour-de-force performance by a gifted artist.

Lovely! The Plum Boy's tune sticks around forever!.......2000-08-24

Elizabeth did a beautiful job on composing these stories based upon old Japanese stories like a well-known Momotaro (Peach Boy). Her singing companions, apperantly her sons(?), sing the Plum Boy so lovely as well!: "Su-momotaro san, Su-momotaro san!", in the basic tune, which sticks around in my head forever!

Most, if not all, of the stories would sound familiar to you if you're native Japanese or lived long enough there. Yet, Elizabeth's new stories are so refreshing and even more peaceful with the beautiful Koto sound. For those who aren't familiar with the culture at all, might as well even better! because these stories would be totally fresh to you. They are not just stories; they are to convey messages, teachings, things we might have forgotten as we grew up... A best gift for kids in bed time and more!

Music:

Music

Music