MetaFilter posts tagged with AfricanMusic

The James Koetting Ghana Field Recordings

Kattullus — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:01:28 -0800

The James Koetting Ghana Field Recordings has 142 reels of Ghanaian music, almost all of which have more than one track, collected by ethnomusicologist James Koetting. There is a glossary of musical terms should you want to know a bit more about Ghanaian music and Koetting's notebooks should you want to know a whole lot more. All the music is wonderful but here are a few that stood out to me. Here are two tracks featuring postal workers whistling over a rhythm beat with scissors and stampers. Flute and drum ensemble. Brass band blues. And finally, twenty teenage girls singing over some nice rhythms. [requires RealPlayer]

um miss may i have a dance with you please?

Potomac Avenue — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:34:02 -0800

S. E. Rogie: Go easy with me. Combining Calypso (Nor weigh me lek dat ) with West African rhythms and West American pickin' (I Wish I Was a Cowboy) the King of Palm Wine Guitar Music played live at the 100 Club in London in 1994 right before the release of his final album, Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana. More: Don't touch me tomato My Lovely Elizabeth Clua Koonde

Music Is the Weapon: Fela documentary from 1982

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:57:57 -0800

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. Here's a snooty and poorly written New York Times review of the film, which aired on PBS in 1985. Not especially worth reading, necessarily, but included here for historical purposes. The film is available for purchase as part of this 2-CD, 1 DVD set, or from Netflix.

Staff Benda Bilili

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:30:19 -0800

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. And how 'bout that totally awesome ultra-high-pitched musical bow that young man is playing? Is that not the coolest instrument ever? Here's a short interview I found, with UN press officer Kemal Saiki, concerning the allegations against the UN by Staff Benda Bilili. Here's an article concerning African disabled musicians, including Staff Benda Bilili, called Music from the Motherland. And this recent article from The Independent mentions Staff Benda Bilili in its last paragraph. Referring to "Na Lingi Yo" (the tune featured prominently in this FPP) the article says: "It was worth coming all this way just to hear that one song." A blog entry that I came across, on the video, from last year.

Mbira

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:18:16 -0800

Ever since I first heard mbira from Zimbabwe almost 30 years ago (via this record), I've been a lover of that enchanting, delicate and intricate music. It's only recently, however, that many of us who aren't actually players of the mbira could see just how the instrument is played: Holding the mbira, and scales - Lesson One - Two - Three - Four, and more and more. And here are some recommended mbira players and groups with MySpace Music pages worth checking out: Spirit Talk Mbira - Mbira Oracle - Kunzawa Mbira Group - Joel Laviolette. Special honors to Thomas Mapfumo, who, many years back, took the mbira style and spirit and adapted it to electric guitars, in an inspired and joyous fusion of the ancient and the modern. This page from All About Jazz reviews the Nonesuch label's releases of Shona mbira music. This YouTube clip features a tune from another of the Nonesuch releases, The Soul of Mbira, a collection of recordings made by ethnomusicologist and author Paul Berliner. Recommended. There'll no doubt be plenty of mbira music to be heard at Zimfest 2008, this coming July in Tacoma, Washington. Finally, here's Dangurangu. For your ears only.

The banjo's great great grandaddy.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 07:01:30 -0800

So, you hollow out piece of wood into an oblong bowl shape, and you attach a dowel to it. Stretch a dried animal skin over that, and put some strings on it. Instruments of this general construction and in a range of sizes can be found from Morrocco to Nigeria and everywhere in between. It goes by any number of local names: Malian masters like Bassekou Kou yaté and Cheick Hamala Diabaté call it ngoni. Senegalese Wolof griots like Samba Aliou Guissé call it xalam. And Morroccan gnawa musicians like Hassan Hakmoun and Hamid El Kasri get way funky on the larger version that they call the gimbri or sentir. [not: see hoverovers for link descriptions] Bonus tracks: Cheick Hamala Diabate again, but not on ngoni: this time he joins antique banjo enthusiast Bob Carlin for a duet on... antique banjos. Here's another Hassan Hakmoun clip. Audio and video are out of sync, but by exactly one beat, so it's not actually too terrible to watch! This clip features a nice groove from the Master Musicians of Jajouka. This clip is an odd mishmash of images, a combination of travel snapshots but with photos of gimbri players interspersed, but audio is a really nice Gnawa groove. And this little high-speed montage clip (it's only just over a minute long), well, you may find either kinda cool or kinda annoying: AfroBeat Banjo. There are, of course, many related instruments across West Africa: oamong them, the larger donso ngoni and the akonting. See also: MySpace Music akonting page. There's also the kora, of course, but that's a whole 'nother FPP. And finally, this incredibly exhaustive MySpace Music page, Banjo Roots packs more info, images and links onto a single page than many websites do in 20 or more. A real labor of love!

Batá drum and dance of the Yoruba, Nigeria, West Africa

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:52:01 -0800

Learn about the powerful, complex Batá drumming and dance tradition of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Check these 6-to-8 year old Batá drummers laying down the groove. Then theres the Egungun action going on over in Ibadan, to the accompaniment of Batá drums, of course. Slaves brought the tradition to Cuba, where it has thrived, with, of course, some stylistic changes along the way. Here's an example. And here.

Papa Kourand: Roots of Konono No. 1

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:33:44 -0800

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! By the way, that video clip from the Kourand link: in case it's slow-loading or no-loading, I also found it in one other place, a tacky little website where you'll get a pesky little popup window, but once you've sent the window on its way, click on the WATCH VIDEO button. There you'll find the same clip, a video of his song "Tout Restera Ici Bas".

Oliver Mtukudzi, pride of Zimbabwe

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:26:43 -0800

Let's pay a visit to Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtu kud zi, or Tu ku, as he's affectionately known to his fans. His voice has a touch of that sweet soul gravel reminiscent of Georgia's Otis Redding, or Jamaica's Toots Hibberts, but his mellow fingerpicking guitar style and relaxed, loping grooves are African all the way. His earlier stuff is certainly worth going back to as well! And, hey, it's unlikely you'll hear too many other pop stars who sing lines like "Call the mother of my childfren. I am hurt. I was injured while training the ox." Though it's a bit out of sync, and the sound isn't the greatest, here's a YouTube clip by an audience member at a live show in Washington DC, and another, similar, from a live show in Virginia. London MeFiers take note: he'll be in your town soon, providing those visas get sorted... Those interested in checking out some of the younger artists coming out of Zimbabwe can get some info here at Zimvibes.com

Balafon! Balafon! Balafon!

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:06:09 -0800

The YouTubes have the African balafon you need. Alya Dioubate. Coulibaly Samadou. Kanazoé. Epizo Bangoura. Koeta Hakiri. Bala. Man and child. Danse Moderne Balafon!

sisters are doin' it for themselves.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 06 May 2007 06:22:26 -0800

Africa. Some women drumming. Some women dancing. [courtesy of the YouTubes]

traditional music of Africa

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 05:05:41 -0800

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."

Sounds from all around

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 08:45:22 -0800

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.