joel
Painter of Dragons, Maker of Mirrors
Thought I'd try one of these monthly listening threads...
The Music of Islam (Celestial Harmonies 19907-2) - 17 CDs that span a wide range (note, not the *entire* range) of Islamic music - or more accurately traditional music from Islamic countries - there is secular music in here, too. Well-recorded, too. Which is nice.
Volume One: Al-Qahirah, Classical Music of Cairo
Volume Two: Music of the South Sinai Bedouins
Volume Three: Music of the Nubians - excellent sampler of Southern Egyptian Nubian music from Asswan region
Volume Four: Music of the Arabian Peninsula
Volume Five: 'Aissaoua Sufi Ceremony (double)
Volume Six: Al-Maghrib, Gnawa Music
Volume Seven: Al-Andalus, Andalusian Music
Volume Eight: Folkloric Music of Tunisia - brilliant and unexpectedly fierce percussion / bagpipe band. Superb percussion work and vocals
Volume Nine: Mawlawiyah Music of the Whirling Dervishes
Volume Ten: Qur'an Recitation
Volume Eleven: Music of Yemen - another excellent album, and different from the various (excellent) San'aa albums out there
Volume Twelve: Music of Iran
Volume Thirteen: Music of Pakistan
Volume Fourteen: Mystic Music Through the Ages
Volume Fifteen: Muslim Music of Indonesia, West Sumatra and Aceh (double) - The West Sumatra disc is an excellent percussive album that surprised me with it's mix of Gamelan, Buddhist and Arab influences.
see www.celestialharmonies.com (who also purvey crass "new age" to the lumpen bourgoisie, oh well)
African Showboyz Spiritual Song (buda 82253-2) 4 brothers and a couple of uncles from Ghana who whip up a trad storm. A really nice album that mixes traditional and modern, ie 3-little birds in a West African drum band stylee...
The Real Bahamas Volume II (nonesuch l79733-2) - I'm not a fan of Calypso, can't explain why, but there you are. Fortunately, this is not Calypso. These are spirituals sung by the decendants of US slaves who ran away/escaped to the Bahamas. Fans of southern Gospel quartets *need* to check this album out
El Negro and Robby Onto the street (still at the third world war) (EastWest ewecd2001) - two of the finest current trap drummers are meticulously recorded going out onto the street where they mix the clave with hints of santeria and a good dose of Soul and Rap.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet The Creator Has a Master Plan (Venus TKCV-35321) Pharoah still seems stuck in some kind of time time warp jazz lounge, but he occasionally escapes and breathes a little fire...
Golden Rain - Music from Bali (nonesuch7559-79716-2) Includes the Ramayana Monkey chant, which everyone should listen to at least once
Matmos The Civil War first track "Regicide" is an interesting mixture of noise / ambiant and folkyness. Sadly that is the only interesting idea on an album that goes downhill rapidly from track 1. In the end a big yawn.
Donna Regina Late (Karaoke Kalk CD22) An album of German minimalism - or so I hoped. Some nice textures, but ultimately Portishead on Mogadon and lacking the necessary bite.
Mary J Blige Love & Life ahh now we're talking. Maybe her best album so far. P Diddy at the controls takes the beats to new and surprisingly interesting places while Mary grows ever wiser and more soulful. The Nu Queen of Soul.
Mestre Ambrosio fua na casa de cabral (Sony Music Brazil) Maybe the Mestres' best effort yet. The classic Pandeiro driven sound remains but they throw electric instruments and anything they can lay their hands on back into the mix. A much weightier and more satisfying effort than their previous couple of albums.
Drums of Death (Avan 062) A rare and (IMHO) important recording of Ewe and Ashanti funerary music. Classic West African drum band music of very high "statistical density" and one to to get if you can find it. An important album.
Lonnie Plaxico Group Live at the Jazz Standard (eighty-eight's VRCL 6012) so so album featuring some very good technicians in search of a soul...
Luis Gonzaga Eu so Quero Um Forro The classic Forro. One for all students of Brazilian popular music.
Plus a bunch of other stuff including some Colombian drum music and yet more music from al-Andalus.
The Music of Islam (Celestial Harmonies 19907-2) - 17 CDs that span a wide range (note, not the *entire* range) of Islamic music - or more accurately traditional music from Islamic countries - there is secular music in here, too. Well-recorded, too. Which is nice.
Volume One: Al-Qahirah, Classical Music of Cairo
Volume Two: Music of the South Sinai Bedouins
Volume Three: Music of the Nubians - excellent sampler of Southern Egyptian Nubian music from Asswan region
Volume Four: Music of the Arabian Peninsula
Volume Five: 'Aissaoua Sufi Ceremony (double)
Volume Six: Al-Maghrib, Gnawa Music
Volume Seven: Al-Andalus, Andalusian Music
Volume Eight: Folkloric Music of Tunisia - brilliant and unexpectedly fierce percussion / bagpipe band. Superb percussion work and vocals
Volume Nine: Mawlawiyah Music of the Whirling Dervishes
Volume Ten: Qur'an Recitation
Volume Eleven: Music of Yemen - another excellent album, and different from the various (excellent) San'aa albums out there
Volume Twelve: Music of Iran
Volume Thirteen: Music of Pakistan
Volume Fourteen: Mystic Music Through the Ages
Volume Fifteen: Muslim Music of Indonesia, West Sumatra and Aceh (double) - The West Sumatra disc is an excellent percussive album that surprised me with it's mix of Gamelan, Buddhist and Arab influences.
see www.celestialharmonies.com (who also purvey crass "new age" to the lumpen bourgoisie, oh well)
African Showboyz Spiritual Song (buda 82253-2) 4 brothers and a couple of uncles from Ghana who whip up a trad storm. A really nice album that mixes traditional and modern, ie 3-little birds in a West African drum band stylee...
The Real Bahamas Volume II (nonesuch l79733-2) - I'm not a fan of Calypso, can't explain why, but there you are. Fortunately, this is not Calypso. These are spirituals sung by the decendants of US slaves who ran away/escaped to the Bahamas. Fans of southern Gospel quartets *need* to check this album out
El Negro and Robby Onto the street (still at the third world war) (EastWest ewecd2001) - two of the finest current trap drummers are meticulously recorded going out onto the street where they mix the clave with hints of santeria and a good dose of Soul and Rap.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet The Creator Has a Master Plan (Venus TKCV-35321) Pharoah still seems stuck in some kind of time time warp jazz lounge, but he occasionally escapes and breathes a little fire...
Golden Rain - Music from Bali (nonesuch7559-79716-2) Includes the Ramayana Monkey chant, which everyone should listen to at least once
Matmos The Civil War first track "Regicide" is an interesting mixture of noise / ambiant and folkyness. Sadly that is the only interesting idea on an album that goes downhill rapidly from track 1. In the end a big yawn.
Donna Regina Late (Karaoke Kalk CD22) An album of German minimalism - or so I hoped. Some nice textures, but ultimately Portishead on Mogadon and lacking the necessary bite.
Mary J Blige Love & Life ahh now we're talking. Maybe her best album so far. P Diddy at the controls takes the beats to new and surprisingly interesting places while Mary grows ever wiser and more soulful. The Nu Queen of Soul.
Mestre Ambrosio fua na casa de cabral (Sony Music Brazil) Maybe the Mestres' best effort yet. The classic Pandeiro driven sound remains but they throw electric instruments and anything they can lay their hands on back into the mix. A much weightier and more satisfying effort than their previous couple of albums.
Drums of Death (Avan 062) A rare and (IMHO) important recording of Ewe and Ashanti funerary music. Classic West African drum band music of very high "statistical density" and one to to get if you can find it. An important album.
Lonnie Plaxico Group Live at the Jazz Standard (eighty-eight's VRCL 6012) so so album featuring some very good technicians in search of a soul...
Luis Gonzaga Eu so Quero Um Forro The classic Forro. One for all students of Brazilian popular music.
Plus a bunch of other stuff including some Colombian drum music and yet more music from al-Andalus.
