In review--Island boys
Cry of the Ancestors
Arc Music
If you follow traditional/folkloric
music of the world, you have most likely come across panpipe players from the
Andes and from Eastern European countries such as Hungary. I have heard those pipes, but pan pipers from
the Solomon Islands have only recently caught my attention on the CD Cry of the Ancestors. Narasirato represent the Are’are people of
Malaita Island and these musicians who sing, play panpipes, and traditional
percussion perform music that oddly sounds like a deep forest circus rolling
into town or resembles the panpipes of Andes musicians.
When vocals appear, (such as
on the track Prophetic Word), they
are delivered in raspy voices that soar to the heights of Native American
pow-wow vocals. Call & response
voices compete with the jagged panpipes and drums that sound like a heartbeat
slapping against one’s chest.
Side Step with the Toes (an odd title), features poly rhythms played on a hollowed
wood hit with sticks. Similar to the animistic Wulu Bunun people of Taiwan and
the Baka people of Cameroon and the Congo, the Are’are musicians play music
that grabs its inspiration from the natural world and blends in with their
forested environment. Overall, this
harmonious and peaceful music played on 100% sustainable instruments, possesses
accessible qualities that invigorate. When
I listen to this recording, I feel like heading to the woods to spend time in
nature.
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