"The second volume of recordings in our series of Madagascar music. From the archives of Montreal recordist, Charlie Brooks. While containing some similar artists as volume one, Fanafody focuses more on his second trip through the island during 2002 featuring violin players and throat breathing singers. Includes extensive photography and liner notes booklet." (Little Axe)
A outstanding second volume in Brook's field recording and photography series of contemporary Madagascar. A fine rip of the expansive version of first volume, Fihavanana, can be found over at the excellent Root Strata blog, which also recently posted a recommended link for MR-087 The Street Musicians of Yogakarta. As for this joker, 320 vinyl by yours truly. Booklet scans too. Enjoy.
Four hypnotic field recordings made by Charles Duvelle in Niger for the Ocora label. Exact year unknown. 320 vinyl rip and hi-res scans by yours truly. Enjoy.
1. Chant de louanges Sonraï
2. Chant de cultivateur Sonraï
3. Musique Haoussa
4. Musique Tamachek
Liner notes, elegantly translated by Julie S:
"Overseas Broadcasting Collection
The Rhythms & Songs of Niger
Does the music of Niger constitute a sufficiently homogenious whole that we can speak of one music rather than several?
In fact, if five major ethnicities (Hausa, Djerma, Sonrai, Peaul, Tuareg) exist, do the particularities of expression, form and instruments allow us to recognize common characteristics? In Hausa country, music is essentially produced by specialists commonly refered to as “griots”. They are in part traditional griots, repositories of group history, attached to a traditional chief, and belonging to a caste; the others, the “circumstantial griots”, the disabled, blind, homeless, who sometimes attach themselves to a professional group (butchers, warriors). The “alghaita” oboe, the “kakaki” trumpet (which is used only in certain circumstances), the “gangua” and “kozo” drums, the “kalanghou” armpit drum, gourd rattles, and the “godie” single-stringed viol are the traditional griots' instruments. The “circumstantial” griots use the “komca”, 2-stringed lute, as well as other instuments borrowed from the traditional griots, notably the “godie”.
Among the Sonrai and Djerma, one finds much the same instruments, the “dondon” armpit drum, the “godie” single-stringed viol, the “kountigui” single-stringed lute, and the 4-stringed “molo”, with the complete exclusion of the oboe and trumpet. Traditional songs performed by a female chorus, the “goumbe”, a recently imported musical form much favored by the young people, has been added to the griots' professional repertoire.
Among the Peul, besides the “hoddou” 4-stringed lute and the single stringed viol that accompanies the griots, one finds the typical “seredou” shepard's flute.
The Tuareg have a music which separates itself from those of the preceding ethnicities. In fact, although griots exist as among the Djerma, Hausa, and Peul, music is not their exclusive domain. During festivities, men and women sing to the rhythms of the “tende” drum. In the tent, women often play the “imzad” violin to amuse themselves while men play the “tassinsikh” flute.
The musics of Niger, despite the specific character of each, still present a certain unity. In fact, the predominence of professional music, essentially homophonic, the rarity of collective musical forms of expression, the presence of types of instruments such as the viol and lute are the common characteristics of the the five major ethnicites.
Ch. Duvelle
Sound recordings produced in Niger, by CH. Duvelle
Side 1
1.Sonrai Praise Song
This is a song recorded at Ayerou which was composed and performed by a fifteen year old young man Doulo Soumahilou.
The young singer is accompanied by Ibrahima Douma, a kountigui player (a single-stringed lute) and by the handclaps of six young people.
Throughout the song, are the praises of friends, respectable persons of Ayerou:
Let's sing, let's sing together,
For Mamman, father of Zarou
For Daoudou Yaro, brother of Bouli
For Sangou, brother of Sipto,
For Thiadial, sister of Kailou.
Let's sing for Issa, brother of Bombom
For Issa, from the village of Gourati.
Let's sing for Yacouba, brother of the Haji,
Father of Zarou
For the brother of Manou, the lion.
Let's sing for Ganda,
The lion of the village of Firgoun
Father of Sadou, brother of Habarou.
Let's sing for Boureima, father of Gambi
the most precious gold, who no one can help but love.
Let's sing for Aria, brother of Bori,
Father of Seifou and Zodou.
Let's sing for Sangou, brother of Lathi and Lakoure,
For Lobeli, sister of Kailou.
Let's sing for Soumana the elephant,
Brother of Morban and Halarou.
Let's sing for Midou,
Brother of Boussoure and Alia.
Brother of Salmon,
Father of Hamidou and Hiliassou,
For Souko, sister of Kaidou.
Let's sing for Boureima,
The kountigui player.
For Garba, brother of Sounna.
Let's sing for Abouda,
Brother of Lathi, Gambi and Souko,
For Diogo, from the village of Firgoun,
Brother of Bouba.
II. Sonrai Farmer's Song
This song was recorded near Ayerou.
A farmer, N'Garin, recites partly the genealogies of the great farming families, and partly the praises of those who have been generous to him:
Men who live on this earth, listen to me!
God is great, Mohammed is his prophet.
Bangana Cisse Boureima, son of Tonda Diallei,
Of Saouda Diallei, of Bokar Diallei, of Zindokoy Diallei,
Of Fouddo Diallei, of Baban Diallei, of Londo Sorvy,
Of Sory Bangana, be careful!
He who is generous to the griots,
He who thinks of the past as well as the present,
He who is like the bark that protects the tree,
That is Lorogei (some words in Tamachek)
Diallo Morogei, is the beetle in the big trees,
Is the worm in the big trees,
He is pure like the newborn child,
Like a cow in paradise,
He is the bird of the big ravines,
The goat of the big ravines,
You and your wife, I thank you.
Diallo, all men must die one day,
Tel Haoua Manzo, Ami Moussa, Doula Moussa,
Sidi Garba Hamma, Atak Hamma, Asebi Hamma, Bouboucar Hamma,
But you, you are the grass than neither the horse nor the goat can graze on.
And you, Mahaman Sadje, son of Kalkoue Sadje, Hamine Sadje,
Boundiami Sadje, Ticambour Sadje, Gaoula Sadje, Gaolakeine Sadje,
Yes, you are the “sadje” that no beast can eat, neither horses or cattle.
(play on words: “sadje” in Djema means undergrowth).
Side 2
I.Hausa Music
The distribution of this traditional music, which was originally only played in the presence of chiefs, has expanded, and now it's a very popular music in Hausa country.
Oumarou Kaka, the singer who accompanies himself on “godie”, was recorded in Massalata, a small village in Niger.
The “godie” is a one-stringed viol, an accompanying instrument often encountered in West Africa.
In chanting the praises of the inhabitants of Massalata shows us the remarkable possibilities of his instrument.
II.Tamachek Music
The griots (musicians, flatterers, composers and singers) are also often the repositories of local history.
These are people who, in West African societies, have a social position comparable to that of the blacksmiths.
The constitute a caste, which is both scorned and respected because, if their profession is not noble in the eyes of society, the knowledge they possess about the history of families gives them great power.
“Tehri”, the song heard here, was recorded near Ayerou (Niger); it is performed by griots who are also smiths. During the day they work with metal and at night they sing.
It is Ibrahim Agaya who accompanies himself on “Teharden”, a three-stringed lute, to the rhythm of his companions' handclaps."
Turkish field recordings compiled & edited by Wold Dietrich, 1968-1977.
"...Among these pieces there are some relatively old forms but also some new, more urban forms. With one exception all these documents are on-the-field recordings made in various villages during several trips to Turkey in 1968-1977. they illustrate main tendencies- those which are disappearing and others which are developing- in Turkish music of today." (Cover notes)
I've found I'm generally drawn to most anything that's taqsim. 320 Vinyl rip by yours truly. Lyrichord, 1977 (LLST 7356).
Download Link: Removed by request from Lyrichord.
1. Ezan: The Müezzin's call for prayer (Antalya, 1968)- Mustafa Ozdemir (voice) 2. Hunkar Hacibertas Veli'nin Nefesi: Air of Lord Hadijibektash Veli (Incirliova, 1977)- Ali Sözen (lute) 3. Ussak Makaminda Bir Taksim: Improvisation on the Ushak Scale (Bodrum, 1977)- Salih Baysal (violin) 4. 'Zahidem' Turkusu: Song of Zahide (Çandir, 1973)- Halil Ekiz (voice) 5. Hicaz Taksimi Ve Suzinak Pesrevi: Improvisation and Prelude (Wiesbaden, 1973)- Özkan Gençay (zither) 6. Genc Osman: Young Osman (Istanbul, 1976)- Mehter Band of the Asker Müze 7. Koroglu Oyun Havasi: Dance tune (Incirliova, 1977)- Hüseyin Doğan, Sabahattin Diner & Hüseyin Doğan Jr. (shawm/drum) 8. Rumeli Ciftetellisi - Greek ciftelli dance (Ürgüp, 1976)- Haydar & Mustafa Çevik (clarinet/drum) 9. Artvin Honoru: Horon dance from Artvin (Kars, 1976)- Sadi Ternez & Yaşar Aktepe (pipe/drum) 10. Karakoyun Icin Avsar Havasi: Melody for the sheep (Kirazlı Köyü, 1977)- Reşat Uysal (flute) 11. Karakoyun Suyu Icermege Icin - Shepherd tune for the sheep going to drink (Bakırköy, 1977)- Süleyman Özdemir (flute) 12. Samfistik Turkusu: Song of the damascene pistachio (Beşdeğirmenler, 1973)- Ibrahim Kepetçioğlu (voice & lute) 13. Kocaarap Zeyebegi: The old arab Zeybeck dance (Karagözler Köyü, 1977)- Idriz & Kâmil Keskin (gourd fiddle/lute) 14. Arhavi Oyun Havasi: Dance from Arhavi (Arhavi, 1976)- Hasan Turna (fiddle)
“Douglas Quin’s Fathom brings together four extended underwater soundscapes—two each from the Arctic and Antarctic. The recordings have been gathered over a period of 15 years, capturing an extraordinary palette of sonic voices, events, spaces, and textures. To the human ear, these soundscapes are haunting and otherworldly; yet they are very much of this world—out of earreach. The tracks are minimally edited and are his first field recordings to be archived in vinyl. Included with the release is a sealed envelope containing an insert with specific locations, animals, and other elements heard, giving listeners the option to absorb sound with or without association. The envelope is printed with liner notes and comments from Dutch journalist and music critic René van Peer. Mastered by James Plotkin, cut direct to metal and pressed on 200 gram virgin-vinyl, Fathom comes packaged in custom letterpressed materials and is presented as a limited edition of 1000.” (Taiga)
Just last week, my sister's friend Chance took off to Chile for his seasonal gig on an Antarctic research vessel. At his goodbye dinner, he was explaining how amazingly laser-like leopard seals sound when swimming underwater. Its true. You can hear them in droves on this album's second Antarctic track: "77° 37’ S 165° 48’ E". Fathom offers a fascinating presentation of unprocessed, ethereal polar sounds. Quin's field recordings fall nicely within the very best, most authentic genre of ambient music; that of the natural world. As always, Taiga has pulled out all the packaging stops with a beautiful, deluxe letter-pressed album cover. I believe I'm gonna grab a copy of the real mccoy from Mimaroglu while there's still some left. Big thanks to Dom (in Portugal) for this album rip.
Download Links, Douglas Quin- Fathom (Taiga 11, 2010): FLAC and 320 mp3
Arctic 58° 37’ N 159° 59’ W 59° 02’ N 158° 25’ W Antarctic 64° 49’ S 64° 02’ W 77° 37’ S 165° 48’ E
I've been steady-rocking Mississippi Records' excellent Fanajana (MSR-067) release all week long. Its a single-LP collection of field recordings and photography from Madagascar, taken in the late-90's by a fellow named Charles Brooks. Now that I'm obsessed, I've come to find out that I missed out on the ultra-limited original 3LP version; Fihavanana. Well, at least I can find some comfort in that the Rootstrata blog has made the full version available, digitally:
V/A - Fihavanana A Collection of Field Recordings and Photography from Madagasikara (3XLP) Over a three year period in the late 1990s, Charlie Brooks embarked on two long field recording trips in Madagasikara. Brooks primarily concentrated on the more remote north and west regions of the island. Upon his return in 1999 he pressed 200 copies of a triple record and stored them under his bed for the last ten years. In anticipation of putting out a full run of a single lp version (MR-067 Fajanana) we are distributing a limited number of copies. There are three themed Lps: Vocal, Valiha Marovany and Miscellaneous Instruments. Comes with a sixteen page booklet of photography and notes. Download Fihavanana from Rootstrata
