When you think of African music, flutes may not be the first instruments that come to mind, but across West Africa there are some flute traditions that often involve a unique combination of vocalizing and blowing into the instrument, resulting in some amazing music that's a hella lotta fun to listen to. There are some nice examples on YouTube
here,
here,
here and
here.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on May 9, 2010 -
16 comments
The other day someone asked me "who's the most deeply grooving and truly exciting electric guitar player you've heard lately?" and I said
"this guy".
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 10, 2010 -
82 comments
Condomise, sings Babsi! Babsi, born 1933, playing the song
Mabelete (Bitches) on the "Fenjoro" which he built from a plastic container, wood and strings from a handbrake cable of a car: it normally has 4 strings like the violin, but one broke.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 5, 2010 -
10 comments
Fela: Music is the Weapon is a documentary film from 1982 featuring a wealth of live concert footage (from his club in Lagos, "The Shrine") as well as interviews with the legendary Nigerian singer, bandleader and social critic. Here's
part 1,
2,
3,
4,
5 and
6.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Nov 5, 2008 -
22 comments
The other day I happened to come upon a music video that is just so grooving, so human and so
real, that, well, it
moved me, darling.
Just check it out. After watching the clip, I learned that these guys are mostly disabled by polio (that's why several of them are in those rather unusual wheelchairs) and that they were living on the grounds of the Kinshasa zoo, which is where the clip was filmed. Then I learned that last year they were seeking to bring
a lawsuit against the UN. Then I found
some other clips. And now I am a
major fan of
Staff Benda Bilili.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 26, 2008 -
47 comments
The full-on, amped-up
sanza sounds of
Konono No. 1 have been celebrated here at MeFi not
once but
twice, and they are indeed wonderful.
Björk's been working with them a bit lately, too. But let's go back a few decades, and take a listen to the unplugged version of this type of music: mesdames et messiurs,
Papa Kourand, the grand old man of the sanza!
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Oct 10, 2007 -
11 comments
Spend a blissful 59 minutes and 7 seconds traversing the continent of Africa through her traditional music. This excellent
stream (featuring just the right amount of background info) from the folks at
Afropop Worldwide [previously] features plenty of the kind of effortlessly rolling, lilting rhythmic vibes that make African traditional music some of the most sublime in the world. "So don't expect over-the-top ethnography, just relax and enjoy acoustic Africa."
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Mar 19, 2007 -
11 comments
If you're interested in musical instruments from all over the world, Wesleyan University's
Virtual Instrument Museum should not be missed. Instruments are searchable by
type (idiophones, aerophones, etc.), by
materials (wood, bamboo, etc.), or by
geographic region. The photos are very good, and many instruments are represented by excellent MP3 audio clips. And the
exhibits (QTVR movies: drag your mouse to see the instrument from all angles) are wonderful.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 25, 2006 -
11 comments
