The Whole Music Experience

Rahim Alhaj Little Earth (2-CDs) UR Music Miraculous, one of a dozen adjectives describes Iraqi oud player/composer Rahim Alhaj’s Little Earth . I say miraculous because musicians from mostly western musical traditions join the exiled composer on such instruments as accordion, guitar, Native American flute, and orchestral arrangements performing microtonal compositions with exotic rhythms foreign to most western listeners’ ears. And as the title of the recording suggests, the coming together of musicians from South America, the American southwest (Robert Mirabel), US, China, Cape Verde, Iran, Brazil, and Iraq certainly portrays a small world after all, (quoting the Disney classic song). On the track, Missing You/Mae Querida , Cape Verdean Maria de Barros marries a mourna (Cape Verdean lament) to Alhaj’s maqam (Arabic mode/structure), and in contrast to this composition about loss, the guitar-oud duo ( Morning In Hyattsville ), with jazz musician Bill Frisell takes on the pl

Cree Confederation Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at Twenty-Nine Palms CD & DVD Canyon Records Bear Creek Pow-Wow Songs Recorded Live at San Manuel CD & DVD Canyon Records Attending an actual pow-wow provides the best way to experience pow-wow drumming and singing. Recordings, even live recordings remove listeners too far away from the context and the dynamics of the drumming and singing, although present on recordings, acts as a poor cousin to watching the singers and drummers performing, sometimes under pressure of a competitive environment. Having said that, pow-wow song recordings provide musical teaching tools for singers and drummers, as well as, providing archival material for ethnomusicologists. These recordings provide souvenirs for those folks who were unable to attend the pow-wow. Both Cree Federation’s and Bear Creeks’ live recordings feature DVD footage of songs performed in electrically-charged pow-wow environments. You hear the master of ceremony

Estun-Bah (Tony Duncan, Darrin Yazzie and Jeremy Dancing Bull) From Where the Sun Rises Canyon Records It has been years since I’ve heard a contemporary acoustic Native American recording such as Estun-Bah’s From Where the Sun Rises . Inspired by the work of R. Carlos Nakai and most likely Burning Sky, here we have warm acoustic guitar playing alongside a frame drum and lilting Native American flute. The sweet rolling melodies captivate my imagination and I find these tracks deeply relaxing. No doubt From Where the Sun Rises appeals to new age and Native American music listeners, but it could also appeal to those seeking warm and uplifting music that plays in the background as they go about their work (including me). I don’t know the age of the musicians, but they look like they just graduated from high school. Though they’re musical talent reveals maturity, especially with the polished arrangements and performances. The three musicians hail from Northern Plains, Dakot