African Tribal Dances

various artists compilation - African Tribal Dances

released on LP

From the liner notes:

"The greatest free show on earth!" These words were used by an overseas visitor to Africa to describe the African Tribal Dances heard on this hi-fi recording made on the Witwatersrand. Every Sunday morning various mines take the turn in presenting to the public, visitors in particular, a cross section of the dancing of the tribes employed on the mines. These people come from many parts of Africa and use the dances as a form of exercise and a means of retaining their identity. The excitement is intense and it can certainly be described as the greatest free show on earth!

Technical notes:

These recordings were made with the camera in mind; the movement of sound in the recording follows the most likely camera requirements. To achieve this effect 6 Neumann microphones were suspended over the dance arena resulting in the best possible pick-up of the action taking place. This is a complete transistorised recording, a special 6 channel mixer being used in conjunction with a Nagra transistorised recording. The recordings were made by Alan D. Boyle and the recording lasting approximately 36 minutes was edited from 3 hours of tape to bring you the best sounds of each group participating.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1.  Mzingili - untitled  {4:02}

2.  Nguni - untitled  {2:36}

3.  Bapedi - untitled  {1:59}

4.  Bakwenas (Bechuanas) - untitled  {1:59}

5.  Whistling Bechuanas (Balete) - untitled  {3:01}

6.  Hlubi - untitled  {3:09}

7.  Batswa (Shangaan from Nyambane) - untitled  {3:03}

Side 2

1.  Mchopi - untitled  {3:04}

2.  Amakway (Shangaan Choir) - untitled  {1:49}

3.  Amakwenkwe (Xhosa) - untitled  {2:04}

4.  Pondo - untitled  {2:27}

5.  Baca (Gumboot Dancers) - untitled  {3:11}

6.  Bacas Umzimkulu - untitled  {2:51}

7.  Barotse - untitled  {2:31}

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Music in the World of Islam: The Human Voice/Lutes

various artists compilation - Music in the World of Islam: The Human Voice/Lutes

In 1976 Tangent Records released Music in the World of Islam as a series of long-playing analogue records. With the advent of the compact disc and its attendant extended playing time we are able to present two LPs on one compact disc. The first two records in the series - The Human Voice/Lutes are presented here.
...
This anthology "music in the world of Islam" is an attempt to present highlights of music found within a huge area in Africa, parts of Europe, and Asia which are today, or have been in the past, Islamic.
As it is obviously impossible to cover adequately the music of any of these countries, far less all of them, the aim has been to divide the music into groupings so that the listener can hear, compare and learn to appreciate some of the almost limitless variety of musical styles - both vocal and instrumental - which have developed in this vast area. The diversity of cultures in the Islamic world is so great that it is strange to find unifying factors in the music. But Bedouins and nomads, farmers on the banks of the Nile, or in the Hindukush Mountains of Afghanistan or the High Atlas of Morocco or the fertile valleys of Pakistan and India. Turkish fishermen on the Black Sea coast and Malay and Javanese along the East China Sea or pearl divers on the gulf which divides Arabia from Iran, as well as the inhabitants of the great and ancient cities of Damascus and Baghdad and Cairo and Fez and Istanbul, Shiraz and Samarkand, all share certain musical traits and some of these, along with specialised music of each area, can be heard on this compact disc. (from the liner notes on the back cover)

The Human Voice LP - tracks 1-14
Lutes LP - tracks 15-23

Tracklisting:

1. [uncredited artist] - Recitation of verses of the Qu'ran {2:26}
(Al-Ateuf, near Ghardela, Algeria)

2. Ismail Ali Hasan and Abdel Hamid Abdel Aziz - Dhikr (remembrance) {2:18}
(A Sufi ceremony; Fayoum Oasis, Egypt)

3. Habibola Halika - Houri {1:21}
(secular vocal music; Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran)

4. [uncredited artist] - Bedouin wedding songs {1:18}
(south of Wadi Musa, Jordan)

5. Jabr bin Husein - Ghazal, or Love Song {1:17}
(Tarif, Abu Dahbi)

6. Amir Mohammed and Baba Hakim - Gurdum Gurdum {3:16}
(love song; Daulatabad, north of Baikh, Afghanistan)

7. [uncredited artist] - Song at the feast after Ramadan {1:50}
(near Nafga, Entrea, Ethiopia)

8. Salim Alan - Haddadi {4:16}
(led by Salim Alan and a group of about twenty pearl divers; Muharraq, Bahrain)

9. Wasimxzama Khan Naseri and Nazir Ahmad - Kavali {4:37}
(a devotional song; Hyderabad, Deccan, India)

10. Dunya Yunis - Abu Zeluf {3:03}
(Beirut, Lebanon)

11. [uncredited artist] - Leader/Chorus song {2:23}
(a group of Gadabursi Somali; Jijiga, Harar Province, Ethiopia)

12. Mehein fin Baqid and Dahar fin Baqid - Radha/Hateim Atiya Khalil Sayed - Ga's {2:20}
(Sharjah, United Arab Emirates/Fayoum, Egypt)

13. Aqi Pishak - Love song {2:22}
(Aqcha, Afghanistan)

14. [uncredited artist] - Tahlil {6:18}
(sung by a Sufi group; Baghdad, Iraq)

15. Salman Shukur - Taqsim in maqam Iraq {3:30}
(Baghdad, Iraq)

16. Sultan Hamid - Taqsim in maqam Hejaz {6:04}
(Muharraq, Bahrain)

17. Aboubekr Zerga - Hausi in makam Iraq {5:02}
(Tlemcen, Algeria)

18. Hussein Ali Zodeh - Tar solo in dastgah Mahur {4:55}
(Teheran, Iran)

19. Baba Hakim - Tambur solo {4:44}
(Daulatabad, Afghanistan)

20. [uncredited artist] - Gunbri (Folk Song) {2:52}
(Foum el Ancur, Morocco)

21. Erol Sayin - Taksim in makam Nishaburek {3:29}
(Ankara, Turkey)

22. Jalal zur Fonun - Solo in dastgah af-Shari {4:19}
(Teheran, Iran)

23. Khan Mohammad, Aqi Pishak and Mohammad Omar - Wedding song (in Uzbek) {2:51}
(Aqcha, Afghanistan)

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African Tribal Music & Dances

various artists compilation - African Tribal Music & Dances

*special thanks to KL from NYC for this

CD released in 1993

The material on this CD are from LP releases Music of the Malinke/Music of the Baoule on Esoteric Records [CPT-529] (tracks 1-13) and Sonar Senghor and His Troupe - African Tribal Music and Dances on Olympic Records [OL-6121, released in 1976) (tracks 14-22, these tracks are only on the A side or first side of the LP).

Experience the sounds of the Malinke tribe, the Baoule and several other peoples from various countries in Africa. Male and female choruses are featured in selections such as "The Dance of the Hunters" and "Dance of the Women". Solo instrumental performances are played with the flute, musical bow, and xylophone in "Solo for Musical Bow", "Duet for Flutes" and "Xylophone Solo". Vibrant African drums and other percussion instruments are played throughout the CD.

Tracklisting:

1. Music of the Malinke - Festival Music {3:26}

2. Music of the Malinke - Solo for the Seron {2:41}

3. Music of the Malinke - Hymn of Praise {3:34}

4. Music of the Malinke - Percussion Instruments {1:34}

5. Music of the Malinke - Festival of the Circumcision {2:19}

6. Music of the Malinke - Dance of the Hunters {3:24}

7. Music of the Malinke - Dance of the Woman {3:18}

8. Music of the Baoule - Invocation, Entrance, & Dance of the Glaou {7:59}

9. Music of the Baoule - Duet for Flutes {2:16}

10. Music of the Baoule - Solo for Musical Bow {0:48}

11. Music of the Baoule - Xylophone Solo {2:30}

12. Music of the Baoule - Male Chorus & Harp {2:09}

13. Music of the Baoule - Dance of the Witch Doctor {4:26}

14. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Sicco {1:40}

15. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Toffi {3:03}

16. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Ibonga {1:39}

17. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Gnounba Gnibi {2:50}

18. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Dianka Bi {3:38}

19. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Sibi Saba {3:08}

20. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Sindhio {3:28}

21. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Didrenquo {3:52}

22. Sonar Senghor & His Rhythms - Bonomiollo {2:58}

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Ivory Coast: Dan Masks

The Dan people - Ivory Coast: Dan Masks

music recorded from 1965-1967; released in 1992

Technically speaking, a person wearing a mask acquires beneath this disguise another personality. According to Black African religious belief, the wearer of the mask abandons his human personality to incarnate a supernatural being, most often an ancestral spirit, a mythical figure or a bush spirit. This metamorphosis occurs, from the technical point of view, in three ways: in outward appearance (costume, facial mask), behaviour (gestures, dance movements) and in the voice.

While African masks, above all the face mask, are readily identified worldwide thanks to museum collections and books on African art, their distinctive voices are much less well-known. The voice is, nevertheless, essential to mask performances. Although it is true that there are masks without a voice, there are others which exist exclusively through their sound without any visual disguise.

The Dan people, with their great variety of masks, live in the mountainous West of the Ivory Coast and, and over the border, in the Liberian outback. The greatest part of modern-day Dan country lies in an Atlantic forest zone which, in the mountainous Northern region, gives way to Sudanese savanna. The Dan are great cultivators of dry rice, manioc and, nowadays, of coffee; they also breed small animals and cattle. On the Ivory Coast, where their official name is the Yacuba, the Dan numbered approximately 250,000 in the sixties; in Liberia where their official name is Gio their number was estimated at roughly 100,000. "Dan" is the name of their language (themselves they call "people who speak Dan"), and it is under this name that they have become renowned for their plastic arts, especially their beautiful masks in sculpted wood.

These facial masks are called geego, "head mask", the more general name gee (glo in the South-Western part) designating the whole character. The gee, supposed to come from the bush, are supernatural beings endowed with special powers. Although everyone knows it is the village men who incarnate these gee (in principle the women are supposed to ignore this, but are well aware - in fact they even have their own masks) this in no way diminishes their supernatural power: sacrifices are made to them, blessing is implored of them and they are obeyed. A want of respect for masks is a serious offence, in the past severely punished, to one's society and religion.

Masks have their own hierarchy - some have a strong supernatural power and only appear two or three times in a lifetime. Others are just for public entertainment and brought out at any number of festivities. Some have no voice, others speak. There are many which both speak and sing or yet have a voice manifested through music. A mask's voice and its place hierarchically have no connection: music is used just as expressively with the most modest masks as with the most powerful.

The Dan have two distinct kinds of masks: the "dressed masks" (gee basi) and the "doffed masks" (gee kpa). The first are masks that one sees everywhere: men with a costume covering them entirely and a facial mask (geego). The second are sound masks created solely by their voices.

A mask is generally accompanied by an assistant-interpreter geesioe who repeats or "translates" his words when they are hard to understand, dialogues with him and, in the case of a mask who expresses himself through singing or instrumental music, sings with him. The Dan classify their "dressed" masks in a certain number of categories according to their appearance (facial mask, head-dress, costume), their behaviour (peaceful or violent, dance, acrobatics) and their voice (if they have one). As well as their classifying name, a particular mask in a certain village has a proper name of its own. With certain "doffed" masks, no distinction seems to be made between their classifying name and their identical proper name.

Since the Dan consider their masks (gee) as supernatural beings, neither the spoken nor sung voices of their incarnation can be human. Their wearers must transform their voices into the voices of supernatural beings. The Dan have perfected three techniques to achieve this - they either distort their own voice, alter their vocal timbre by speaking into an instrument, or replace the voice with instruments hidden from the uninitiated. (Hugo Zemp,translated by Jeffrey Grice)

Tracks 1 to 9 are devoted to "Dressed masks" and tracks 10 to 16 to "Doffed masks".

Tracklisting:

1. Geego "Male Mask" {4:13}

2. Geegble "Long Mask" {4:26}

3. Geekezi "Wicked Mask" {4:21}

4. Geenoonoe "Young Girl Mask" {3:01}

5. Glukoeglo "War-making Mask" {3:42}

6. Kagee "Masks with forked Sticks" {3:49}

7. Wepoekoegee "Mask that makes Comedy" {3:14}

8. Giata (The Masks' Race) {3:18}

9. Gia {4:14}

10. Geeglu "Multiple Mask" {3:10}

11. Gbinggee "Night Mask" {3:20}

12. Geemaanoe "Little Bird Mask"/Geeyibo "Mask that eats Water/Pawo {4:20}

13. Geewova "Mask with the big voice" {0:47}

14. Kong (Women's Mask) {3:44}

15. Wodongdogo/baagadioe/geiyomlo {3:12}

16. Blibana (Women's Mask) {2:40}

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Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa & Beyond

Foday Musa Suso - Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa & Beyond

released in 1997

In West Africa, the Griot is a musician, entertainer, historian, myth maker and more. For 800 years this expert musician class have been "walking libraries," responsible for preserving the region's wisdom and lore. Epic songs, genealogies and one of the world's richest instrumental traditions have been passed down through arduous apprenticeships, ensuring that the Jali Kunda (Griot family) endures.

Born in Gambia, Foday Musa Suso is a Mandingo Griot. He mastered the Griot's traditional repertory by the time he was 18. Suso then took his kora (a 21-string harp-lute), and traveled through Africa, America and Europe, providing audiences with their first taste of Griot music.

For Jali Kunda, Foday Musa Suso returns to his native village in Gambia with legendary producer Bill Laswell. They visit Senegal and Guinea-Bissau to encounter their Griots, learn their stories and hear their songs. Back in the United States, Suso and Laswell anticipate the next century of Griot music as Suso performs original works by avant-classical minimalist Philip Glass, saxophone innovator Pharoah Sanders, and muscular funksters Mandingo. (from the back cover)

Produced by Foday Musa Suso and Bill Laswell

Tracklisting:

1. Allah l'aake {2:45}
recorded in Kolda, Senegal; Foday Kuyateh, Tamba Kuyateh, Wuye Kanuteh - kora, Balla Camara - drum, Jewuru Suso, Bobo Kuyateh, Musukuto Sakiliba, Jonfolo Sakiliba - singers

2. Sunjata {5:45}
recorded in Tabato, Guinea-Bissau; Omar Jobarteh, Sambel Jobarteh, Fili Jobarteh - balafon, Yaya Jobarteh, Bobo Jobarteh - drums, Jalimakang Konteh, Mairan Jobarteh, Manda Jobarteh, Safi Kuyateh, Keitta Dindingo, Fatou Suso, Jalifatuma Camara, Mairan Camara - singers

3. Sinyaro {3:03}
Bolong Suso, Surakata Suso, Karunka Suso, Cherno Suso, Jewuru Kanute, Musa Kanute - kora, Funeh Kuyateh, Demmu Suso, Bobo Suso, Ndaga Kuyateh, Tida Kanuteh, Nyalin Kuyateh - singers

4. Mariama {4:31}
Momodu Salifu Baldeh, Mamadon Baldeh - nyanyer and voice, Sambel Mballo, Babakary Jallow, Mansa Baldeh, Dikory Siedy, Ganya Siedy - drums

5. Spring Waterfall {7:21}
composed by Foday Musa Suso with Philip Glass; Foday Musa Suso - kora, Philip Glass -piano

6. Jula Faso {3:21}
recorded in Brikama, The Gambia; Bolong Suso, Surakata Suso, Karunka Suso, Cherno Suso, Jewuru Kanute, Musa Kanute - kora, Funeh Kuyateh, Demmu Suso, Bobo Suso, Ndaga Kuyateh, Tida Kanuteh, Nyalin Kuyateh - singers

7. Sunjata {3:10}
recorded in Kolda, Senegal; Jewuru Suso, Bobo Kuyateh, Musukuto Sakiliba, Jonfolo Sakiliba - musicians/singers

8. Lanmbasy Dub {8:23}
dance track originally performed by The Mandingo Griot Society and remixed using samplers, studio technology and the electric kora; Foday Musa Suso - electric kora, percussion and voice, Jeff Bova - electronic keyboards, Bill Laswell - bass, sampled sound, Nicky Skopelitis and Clive Smith - programming

9. Jula Jekereh {4:50}
Mahamadou Suso, Mawudo Suso, Suntu Kuyateh, Yaya Jassy - balafon, Funeh Kuyateh, Demmu Suso, Bobo Suso, Ndaga Kuyateh, Tida Kanuteh, Nyalin Kuyateh - singers

10. Lambango {2:49}
recorded in Tabato, Guinea-Bissau; Omar Jobarteh, Sambel Jobarteh, Fili Jobarteh - balafon, Yaya Jobarteh, Bobo Jobarteh - drums, Jalimakang Konteh, Mairan Jobarteh, Manda Jobarteh, Safi Kuyateh, Keitta Dindingo, Fatou Suso, Jalifatuma Camara, Mairan Camara - singers

11. Samma {8:30}
Foday Musa Suso - kora, Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone

12. Sorrie {3:35}recorded in Brikama, The Gambia; Mahamadou Suso, Mawudo Suso, Suntu Kuyateh, Yaya Jassy - balafon, Funeh Kuyateh, Demmu Suso, Bobo Suso, Ndaga Kuyateh, Tida Kanuteh, Nyalin Kuyateh - singers

13. Yata Kaya {4:55}
Momodu Salifu Baldeh, Mamadon Baldeh - nyanyer, Sambel Mballo, Babakary Jallow, Mansa Baldeh, Dikory Siedy, Ganya Siedy - drums

14. Lambango {8:01}
recorded in Gabu, Guinea-Bissau; Abdou Kuyateh, Sirifo Kuyateh, Burema Kuyateh, Madi Jollo, Kekuto Suso - kora, Malang Kuyateh, Jaali Kuyateh, Aminata Kuyateh, Wudeh Kuyateh, Isatou Kuyateh - singers

15. Allah l'aake {3:51}
recorded in Brikama, The Gambia; Bolong Suso, Surakata Suso, Karunka Suso, Cherno Suso, Jewuru Kanute, Musa Kanute - kora, Funeh Kuyateh, Demmu Suso, Bobo Suso, Ndaga Kuyateh, Tida Kanuteh, Nyalin Kuyateh - singers

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Sounds of West Africa: The Kora & the Xylophone

[uncredited artist] - Sounds of West Africa: The Kora & the Xylophone

The Lobi-Dagarti Xylophone (or balophon) of Northern Ghana and the Kora harp-lute of Gambia produce some of the most striking instrumental music to be found anywhere in Africa. The culture of the Lobi and Dagarti people has resisted erosion from Islamic and European contacts and their music remains relatively pure even today. The kora, on the other hand, developed in the Savannah belt, an area profoundly influenced by Islam and North Africa. While retaining its essential sub-Saharan rhythmic character, the kora reflects North African culture in its tonality, timbre and harmonies.
The kora has 21 strings that can be tuned to absolute pitch in at least three distinct tonal modes. The following is one common tuning arrangement. In ascending order the strings are tuned: F, C, D, E, B flat, D, F, A, C, E, (left hand) and F, A, C, E, G, B flat, D, F, G, A, (right hand). (Francis Bebey, African Music, A People's Art, Lawrence Hill and Co.)
The kora is played by the Griots (praise singers and chroniclers) of Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Guinea Bissau. It is taught by father to son so that over the generations a whole lineage of kora players take shape. When a young boy begins to play he must learn countless epic tales, myths, histories of tribes and royal lineages so that soon he emerges as the oral historian par excellence of his people. The first kora player is said to have appeared in the royal court of Kelefa Senneh of Guinea Bissau and formerly all Griots were attached to royal families. But in modern times, with the disintegration of the traditional states, kora players are more or less "at large" and every kora player must have in his repertoire songs recounting the ancestral histories of any number of wealthy potential patrons.
When a Griot spots a "Great Man" in the street or the market he will shout his name and immediately launch into an epic musical account of the glories of the man's lineage. A crowd is sure to gather and the man, the obvious focus of all the commotion, feels constrained to be as generous as possible to the musician so that he will continue to sing his praise as opposed to his defmation. The Griot still depends entirely on patrons for his livelihood. Even today, to turn a Griot away from one's door empty-handed constitutes a major social disgrace.

The Lobi-Dagarti Xylophone

In both Lobi and Dagarti, the xylophone is central in all life events from weddings, funerals, work and recreational situations to cult events. The Lobi-Dagarti xylophone is a 14-key instrument of a type that is widely distributed throughout West Africa as well as in parts of Central and Eastern Africa (e.g. Zaire, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique). It is constructed so that the wooden keys, mounted on a wooden frame, vibrate over graduated gourd resonators. The gourds have small holes covered with a thin paper (made from spider webbing and glue) which vibrates when the keys are struck producing a continuous nasal buzzing sound. Although indigenous musicians are less concerned with absolute pitch than with relative tonal relationships, the xylophones generally conform to the following pentatonic arrangement:
It should be noted that while the Lobi and Dagarti use the same xylophone, they constitute distinct ethnic groups with mutually incomprehensible languages and different musical styles. (Richard Hill) 

Tracklisting:

1. Bin kpe {4:41}

2. Kyipellu festival song {2:31}

3. Chedo {5:12}

4. Nyam born ti waa na {2:24}

5. High Life {2:32}

6. Jimbasin {5:36}

7. Tuntumggben {2:47}

8. Domme wa la sofgu {1:57}

9. Tu tu le tu {2:00}

10. Nabaya (My Beads) {2:55}

11. Ansu "Machhine" Menneh {1:44}

12. Ga da yina-funeral music {2:19}

13. Le ben doma {3:15}

14. Musa Koli {2:20}

15. Laminba {2:48}

16. Dembo {2:41}

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Central African Republic: Banda Polyphony

The Banda people - Central African Republic: Banda Polyphony

originally released in 1976; re-released in 1992

The Banda, who number about 400,000, form the largest ethnic group in the Central African Republic. Although their history cannot be reconstructed with any certainty, it would appear that they came from the East, probably from the valley of the Nile. They are thought to have settled in the region that corresponds to the present Sudanese-Central-African borders in the first half of the 19th century, and subsequently to have been driven into the interior by the raids of slavetraders. They now occupy the upper reaches of the Uaka, the Kotto, the Gribingi, a region of bush-covered savannah with forest galleries.

The Banda people are divided into more than fifty subgroups, each of which has its own customs, speech and music. The Linda and the Dakpa are among the most numerous branches of the Banda people. Being neighbours, and even having established themselves in the very heart of the Banda country, they share to a large extent their musical forms. It is, however, possible to distinguish certain modes of expression. For example, although the Dakpa and the Linda both have ensembles of horns, the form of the instruments, the repertoire and the techniques of musical elaboration vary markedly from one group to another. As in all parts of this cultural area, music is closely associated with social and religious life. Even now it still fulfills a central function at all the events of any importance held in the traditional village.

The vocal music of the Banda is largely monodic, whereas their instrumental music - which usually amounts to an "orchestration" of the sung melodies - can give rise to elaborate and highly complex polyphonic structures. This applies in particular to the music for horns of the Linda and the Dakpa. The ongo horn ensembles are closely associated with the ancestors cult and with the initiation of young boys. Today, however, the music for these instruments is also played at national festivals. The ensembles consist of anything from ten to eighteen instruments, the size of which varies from 20 to 160 cm. They are always accompanied by a pair of jingles struck together. (Simha Arom)

Tracklisting:

Linda Music

1. Music for ongo ensemble: Ndraje balendro, initiation song {4:22}

2. Music for ongo ensemble: Eci ameya, song for the cult of the twins [horns] {1:50}

3. Music for ongo ensemble: Eci ameya, song for the cult of the twins [voices] {1:59}

4. Music for ongo ensemble: Ebena ka cemato, lament {4:06}

5. Music for ongo ensemble: Music for dancing, gboyo {2:47}

6. Mvrele ensemble: flutes {2:21}

7. Mvrele ensemble: voices {4:25}

Dakpa Music

8. Little Suite for ongo-ngala {7:04}

9. Dance of initiates "Brother, I am suffering" {5:07}

10. Suite for the mbaya ensemble {5:52}

11. Damba lekpa, music for the mbaya ensemble {1:23}

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Tabara

Amadu Bansang Jobarteh - Tabara

released in 1993

Amadu Bansang Jobarteh is a jali or griot, an oral historian and hereditary praise singer from among the Mandinka people of Gambia, West Africa. His instrument is the kora, a 21-string harp. This is a live studio recording featuring kora and accompanying vocals. Now in his late seventies, Amadu Bansang Jobarteh embodies the wisdom and maturity of a grand master, and is one of the oldest and most respected kora players of our time. Despite his age, his musical mind is sharp and his fingers are incredibly nimble. He has performed around the world and has taught in Europe and the United States.

The kora

The kora is a 21-string harp from West Africa. Because of its pleasing sound and accessibility to Western ears, it is perhaps the most well-known of stringed instruments from the African continent. The kora's resonator is made from a large hollowed gourd which is dried, cleaned and prepared by its maker and then covered with cowhide. The hide is stretched over the open side of the gourd and wrapped around toward the back, where it is held in place by ornate metal tacks. A hardwood neck is fixed to the center of the gourd, along with two wooden hand supports. Nylon strings are fastened to an upright bridge, and are held in place by strips of leather which, when moved up and down the bridge, alter the pitch. A hole is punched in the gourd to serve as a resonator, and also serves as a convenient pocket to carry extra strings and personal items.

Music of the kora

Much of kora music is based on short cycles of finger movements called kumbengo. These kumbengo may be continuously developed within a piece with slight variations in rhythm and melody. Another important element of kora playing is birimintingo, or downward-spiraling melodic runs, which can be fast and highly ornamental in nature.

Much of West African music relies heavily on improvisation, and individual musicians are somewhat free to develop their own styles within established boundaries such as song format, spoken or sung text, tuning and rhythm. Kora players also often use humming as an accompaniment to their improvisations.

There are four basic tunings connected to the kora, and each one carries its own repertoire of songs. Each tuning is regional; they reflect local preference. It is rare to find a kora player who performs well in all four tunings. (from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

1. Tabara {8:31}

2. Jula Faso {11:53}

3. Lamban {7:21}

4. Kelefaba {11:06}

5. Fode Kaba {9:44}

6. Hama Ba Jata {3:01}

7. Jula Jegere {10:54}

8. Alfa Yaya {8:39}

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Keepers of the Talking Drum

Tama Walo - Keepers of the Talking Drum

The Walo Walo are the descendents of the ancient Wolof kingdom of Walo, the delta region of the Senegal river, in northwestern Senegal. According to oral tradition, Walo existed for 625 years before the French colonized it in 1866. Some claim it is the oldest of the five Wolof kingdoms.
Unlike other Wolof, who traditionally play sabar drums, the Walo Walo have specialized in the Senegalese talking drum, or tam (TAH-mah). For as long as anyone knows, Walo Walo drummers have cultivated a unique style of dance music on five tamas and a bass drum called the lambe (LAHMB). According to some Wolof drummers, the Walo Walo may have played the tama for as long as three and a half centuries, though not always with a bass drum.
Cultures in other West African countries play similar drums, but with different styles of music.

The Drums

The tama has a wooden shell which is shaped like an hourglass. Each end is covered with the skin from the belly of an iguana. The skins are laced together with string. The drummer changes the drum's pitch by squeezing the strings with his arm.
The Walo Walo play four types of tama. From largest to smallest, they are the bopp, bal, nder bal, and nder. Traditionally, a troupe has two nder, for a total of five tamas.
The lambe - which is closed at the bottom and covered with a goat skin on top - is also used in sabar. Oral tradition holds that the lambe and tama are older than the other types of sabar drums.
The bal is the principal solo drum. The other drums usually play supporting parts, but they may also take turns soloing.
Each rhythm has four supporting parts, which interlock. Usually, two of the tamas - and sometimes more - play the same part. Each rhythm also has its own dance.

Tama Walo

The members of the troupe Tama Walo all come from Walo, but like a fifth of all Senegalese, they have moved to Dakar. There, they perform for wedding receptions, weddings, child-naming ceremonies, and informal dance parties among the many Walo Walo who have also moved to Dakar.
The troupe consists of the principal soloist, tama player Ousseynou "Papa" Thiam (CHAHM); tama players Mamadou Thiam, Abdoul Rakhmannne Gueye (GAY), Ibrahima Mboup, Abdou Boy Samba, and Diebril Dieye (jee-BREEL JAY); lambe player Seni Mboup; and singers Fanta Fall, Awa Thiam, and Fatou Manganne. Only five of the tama players play at a time.
The drummers in the troupe all come from families that have played the tama professionally for generations.

Drum Talk

The Walo Walo say the tama can talk because its wood and skin used to be alive. Walo Walo drummers use rhythms extensively to represent words. The audience knows by convention what the rhythms represent.
For example, while soloing, a drummer might praise someone in the audience by playing the drum strokes ran dan dan gan dan, ran dan dan gan dan ta xin dan, ran dan gan dan dan to represent the words Lo dé ti xalat (Don't be sad); Fi kofi guénou douleur geunne (Nobody here is better than you); Lo dé ti xalat (Don't be sad). Or for example, listen to the soloist represent English words (borrowed from American recordings) in track 10 at 1:18.
A drummer's solo can consist entirely of such phrases. (from the liner notes)

Recorded in Pikine Tally Icotaff, Senegal, in 1997.

Released by Village Pulse in 1998.

Tracklisting:

1. Ganass [1] {10:15}

2. Bak [1] {2:09}

3. Pithiémé Samba {2:28}

4. Awounalène {4:41}

5. Ganass [2] {5:00}

6. Dagagne {5:44}

7. Bak [2] {2:46}

8. Leumbeul {5:57}

9. Tagoumbar {1:51}

10. Bak [3] {3:43}

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Adama Drame: Rhythms of the Manding

The Mandingo country comprises north-western Guinea, the north-western part of the Ivory Coast, and the south-eastern part of Mali. The prominent ethnic groups in these regions are the Malinke, the Bambara and the Diula.
In the caste society of the Mandingo peoples, the griots together with the artisans (Nyamakala) occupy an intermediate position on the social ladder, between the nobles (Horon) on the one hand, and the captives (Dyon) on the other. The griots (Diely) are the repositories of oral tradition and it is their task to transmit it to their descendants. Griots marry within their caste (although not necessarily within the same ethnic group.
Even nowadays, the great historical narratives (the Mandingo Epic and the History of Sundjata of the 13th and 14th centuries are the best known), continue to be transmitted orally in the traditional manner, during an apprenticeship lasting several years. The griots were also genealogists, bound to great families who gave them their keep, and were commissioned to sing their masters' praises at public celebrations.
Many griots nowadays, both men and women, no longer have a lord or master, they are "independent," earning their living by singing the praises of celebrities at public meetings, weddings, baptisms and funerals. Many of them have lost all historic value as repositories of tradition and are considered as parasites by modern society. Nevertheless, so great is the power of the spoken word that they are feared, and there is no one who would chase them from his house for fear that his reputation would be immediately and irrevocably destroyed.





Adama Drame, son of a famous griot and musician, started to focus all his musical efforts on the Jembe (or Djembe) at the age of 13, gaining the status of a professional virtuoso in his early twenties.
The Jembe originally comes from Northern Guinea (Malinke country). It is not an instrument reserved for the use by griots alone. It is a drum made of hollowed out Lengue wood, covered with a single goat or antilope skin. One, two or three iron plates with rattling components are often added on the rim of the drum. In West Africa, the shape of the drum is very widespread, whilst the size, snare, and loudness varies a great deal according to the region and the individual musician.
The rhythms used are often of ancient origin and take years to learn, during which time the musician elaborates his techniques of expression step by step. A good player is known for the variety of his rhythms and an excellent one for the qualities of his improvisations. According to musicologist Didier Dulout, Mandingo rhythms may be described as typically African. The far origins of the basic structure of the Samba and Bossa-Nova can also be recognised in them. The frequent use of demi-semiquavers and sextuplets as well as the many different types of compound time make these often syncopated rhythms particularly complex.(from the liner notes)

01 Tom-tom call & Malinke Mandiani rhythm
02 Somo moriba, Malinke rhythm
03 Dansa, Bambara rhythm
04 Suku, Malinke rhythm
05 Kofli, Bambara rhythm
06 Sanja, griot dance
07 N'dri, Bambara rhythm
08 Kurubi, Diula rhythm
09 Sunu, Bambara rhythm
10 Jondon, captives' dance
11 Improvisation

Recordings (1976-78) and photographs: Bernard Mondet

Note: Since the original recording quality is very poor, and because the record has some bad crackles and scratches all over, I decided to clean up the noises (most of them are gone, the biggest ones remain as much smaller "pops") and then to remaster the low and high frequencies. The result sounds much better now, with more presence and even some nice "boom".
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Visitor Hamor contributed cover scans (front and back) in very good quality. Thanks!

Togo - Musique Kabiye

Our last two posts of African music ("The Music of the Ba-Benzélé Pygmies" and "The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest") were well received by our visitors, so here's another record, this time from the Ocora label, featuring music of the Kabiyè people in Togo, documenting their unique and amazing society and culture. You'll get to hear lithophones (percussion instruments made from stone), whistle flutes (not unlike those of the Ba-Benzélé pygmies), driving drumbeats, polyrhythms, archaic counterpoint of the minimalist kind, and more.

The Kabiyè have lived since time immemorial in northern Togo, in mountains of chaotic and ruined appearance that served as a refuge from invaders, raiders and slave traders. Little by little they have deforested the mountains and, to subsist, have had to labor stubbornly to subdue this rocky land by concentrated agricultural development along the slopes creating veritable hanging gardens, mainly of millet and jams.

This society of incomparable farmers was devoid in the past of traditional chieftains (and professional musicians), but despite this it was not anarchic, because it was organized by age groups, each one having its own function.

These two characteristics determine the role of music in this society: on one hand the relationship with the agricultural cycle, on the other the organization by age groups.

Primarily, the music accompanies the principal feminine and masculine labors. This explains its seasonal character - each agricultural festival is associated with its particular music - and the ban on the use of certain instruments except for established celebrations, like the lithophone and the water flutes. Music's place in agricultural ritual also explains its special role in the worship of the dead, promoters of fertility. Secondarily, music is associated with the age groups, especially the efala and the kondona who, after five years, reach the staus of free man and citizen. The heavy bell, made of paired hoes, is the prerogative of the chief initiates, who present themselves to the people by climbing up an earthen hill, at the top of which they strike the bell.

Recordings, text and photos: Raymond Verdier and Anne-Marie Lavilléon
Recorded between 1960 and 1972

- Lithophone solo -
- Songs -
- Xylophone solo -
- The donga drum -
- Burial music -
- A rain dance -
- Musical Bow solo -
- Flute and horn: message transmission -
- The Orchestra of Landa -

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The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest

The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest - The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest

First, I want to apologize that there wasn't a nature/environmental sounds post this past Sunday. I was out of town for the Labor Day holiday this weekend and I didn't have anything suitable on my laptop. Also, the connection was dodgy where I was staying so it would have been difficult to post something anyway.

Now with that matter taken care of, I thought I would follow H.C.'s terrific post with this item. Most of this LP has singing by the Pygmies or BaMbuti with the ambient sounds of the forest in the background. The Ituri forest is located in the northeast part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (or formerly called the Belgian Congo when this record was originally released). Instruments such as the flute and the lukembi have little presence on this record. The songs and music are an essential part of BaMbuti social life. There are songs for activities such as hunting, gathering honey, telling of legends, initiation rites, dances. All Ba Mbuti are sacred in a sense as the liner notes mention.

Tracklisting:

Side I

1. Birds and Crickets; Bark-Cloth Hammering with the Voices of Young Boys in the Background {1:27}

2. Elephant Hunting Song {2:52}

3. Spear Song {2:55}

4. Net Hunting Song {3:02}

5. Hunting Cries of Beaters; Arm Clapping (Signaling) and Shouting {1:26}

6. Honey-Gathering Song {2:43}

7. Animal-Dance Song {2:29}

8. Old Pygmy Telling Legend {0:57}

9. Flute Duet {1:46}

10. Lukembi and Solo Voice {1:31}

Side II

11. Pygmy Dance in Bantu Village {2:07}

12. Bachelor Duet, with Lukembi {1:29}

13. Two Initiation Songs, Sung by Pygmy Boys Led by Mundaka {2:51}

14. Two Songs of the Alima, Women's Religious Society (1) {1:05}

15. Two Songs of the Alima, Women's Religious Society (2) {1:46}

16. Mocking Song of the Lusumba {2:04}

17. Lusumba Fire Dance Song (1) {1:55}

18. Lusumba Fire Dance Song (2) {1:20}

19. Two Lusumba Songs Sung Only on Occasions of Great Importance (1) {2:25}

20. Two Lusumba Songs Sung Only on Occasions of Great Importance (2) {1:47}

21. Song of Devotion to the Forest {1:28}

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Music of the Ba-Benzélé-Pygmies

UNESCO COLLECTION
An Anthology of African Music (3)
Bärenreiter-Musicaphon BM 30 L 2303

Recordings, commentary and photographs by Simkha Arom in collaboration with Geneviève Taurelle
Recorded in 1965
 
The record starts with a solo performed by a young woman, playing on the one-pitched hindewhu whistle while simultaneously singing in a counterpoint of falling sixths, fifths and fourths. I wonder if Herbie Hancock got the inspiration for the intro of his fusion version of "Watermelon Man"(on the "Headhunters" album) from this recording. In fact, a whole bunch of70s minimalists could have derived their basic concepts from this record.
 This is one of my favourite records with music from Africa. The music of the Ba-Benzélé Pygmies, who live primarily the vast belt of equatorial forest in the Southwest of the Central African Republic, presents textures of sound in an astonishing variety, from the yodeling of the lullaby, the strange sonority of the hindewhu, and the vividness of the mimed stories, to polyphonic singing, which can sometimes be very complex. This polyphony gives to certain pieces an astonishing fullness of sound and an impression of perpetual development which ceases only with the coda section. An astonishing and highly entertaining recording.
 
01 Hindewhu solo
02 Song of rejoicing after returning from a hunt
03 Nbu, lament
04 Kongo asseka, music for dancing at a wake
05 Song of rejoicing after returning from a hunt
06 Lullaby
07 Lullaby
08 Ngoma, invocatory song before a hunt
09 e Yimba e, song preceding the departure of the hunters
10 Music for entertainment
11 First story: Mbombokwe, the woodpecker
12 Second story: The wondo player
13 Third story: The fruit eater
14 Fourth story: Sokopina (the tree with red fruit)
15 Fifth story: Lenkokodi
  
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Classical Music of Egypt

various artists compilation - Classical Music of Egypt

All of the pieces are instrumental solo pieces. Tracks 1 and 4 are performed on the qānūn. Track 2 is performed on the nāy. Track 3 is performed on the 'ūd. Here's an explanation of the instruments from the liner notes. 

Qānūn or Kānūn

A chordophone originated in Middle East. We already had its prototype in ancient Egypt. The Kānūn plays an important part in the modern Arab orchestra. Its basic tone is sol. It has 78 chords which produce 26 tones because we tunes up each 3 chords into one pitch. The longer side of the instrument is 120cm, the shorter 50cm, and the length 74cm long. Made of wood, it has 4 sound holes on the surface. The right edge is covered with skins of fish, and the left edge has a lot of levers for microtones which the Turks brought into this instrument relatively in later period. For scratching the chords we use plectra which are fixed to the index-fingers of both hands by metal rings. The basic skill is common but there are some different performing styles. In Egypt they play octaves at the same time, on the other hand in Turkey they often use tremolo on single tone. As the kānūn is delicately influenced by temperature and humidity, we must tune it all the time. It is said that this instrument is the original one of European zither.

nāy

End-blown flute. We find it in all Middle East area, including Egypt. And we can also find its prototype in ancient Egypt. Its basic tone is re. A set consists of 7 tubes. According to the maqāmāt we use either of the 7 tubes. Each tube gives 2 octaves and half tones. It is made of reed and has always 9 joints. Although hollowing the joints out, their small pieces still remain inside the tube. That is the reason why the nāy produces such delicate sounds. It has 6 finger-holes on the surface and 1 on the back. They give half-tone-scale. The nāy came to Europe by way of Andalusia and became the flute.

‘ūd

The plucked string instrument originated in Persia. In Egypt it has 5 double strings (tuning:do->sol->re->la->mi from higher.) Strings were once made of guts, but nowadays made of nylon or steel. We pluck these chords with the thin plectrum called 'rīshah', formerly made of horn of animals, rachis of birds or piece of woods, today made of plastic. A chord is usually 60cm long. The ‘ūd has a big sound hole called "shamsīya (the sun)" and two small ones called "qamarīya (the moon)" on the surface. The ‘ūd maker displays his ability in the ornanents of these holes. Because of the roundish back side, it was also called 'barbat' which means 'the chest of duck' in Persian. The ‘ūd has become the essencial instrument for musicians since the Abbasid period. And so, even today. In ensemble it takes charge of melody but very often it plays alone. The tone color of the ‘ūd varies deversely according to the teqnique of the performer. It became the model of European lute, and also became Chinese "p' ip' a" which was introduced into Japan, where the instrument is called "biwa".


Tracklisting:

1. Hossam D.M.S. 'Abd Al-Rahman - Maqām Nahāwand {10:15}

2. Mohammad A.M. Fudah - Maqām Sabā {18:46}

3. Sayyid M.M. Husayn - Maqām Kurd {20:51}

4. Hossam D.M.S. 'Abd Al-Rahman - Maqām Hijāzkar {11:44}

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