The Whole Music Experience

Native American/World   Nitanis “Kit” Largo   Serenity   Canyon Records     Bear Creek   Kaagige-Forever   Pow-Wow Songs   Canyon Records Randall Paskemin   Christmas Cheer   Christmas Round Dance Songs   Canyon Records Sometimes I wonder why so few Native American woman musicians record albums or why labels release few recordings by Native American women.   I would love to see women pow-wow drumming and vocal groups, and more in Native American women musicians such as Joanne Shenandoah, Sandy Scofield, Mary Youngblood and Sharon Burch, personally.   So I can’t tell you how pleased I am to review First Nation vocalist-songwriter Nitanis “Kit” Largo debut solo album, Serenity . Largo has been around for a while, singing with the First Nation pow-wow group Bear Creek (also mentioned in this review round-up) and you’ll hear her vocals gracing the albums of Alex E. Smith ...

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 ...