Showing posts with label World Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Music. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Margareth Menezes: "Elegibô" (1989)
Margareth Menezes (born October 13, 1962) is a Brazilian singer from Salvador, Bahia.
Her style is considered axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB territory, also drawing on African rhythms and reggae at times.
Menezes is best known in Brazil for her song "Me Abraça e Me Beija", a major hit in 1990. She also scored another hit with "Dandalunda", a song which became the unofficial anthem of the 2003 Salvador carnival.
Menezes has achieved superstardom in her native Bahia but only moderate success in wider Brazil. She is famed for her energetic live performances and regularly tours and performs at carnival celebrations.
In 1990, one of Menezes's tracks "Elegibô (Uma Historia De Ifa)" was used in the Mickey Rourke film Wild Orchid. This prompted Island Records in the US to release a compilation album of some of her older material from Brazil on their subsidiary label, Mango. The album, simply titled Elegibô, was an instant hit, reaching # 1 on the Billboard World Music chart at a time when David Byrne was championing Brazilian music in the US. The title track itself became a regular staple at clubs playing so-called world music throughout the US and Europe. The album also received a full release in the UK, Germany and France. A single, "Tenda do Amor", was also released from the album in some European territories. Menezes toured internationally on the back of this album, generating a lot of press in the process. A second US-released follow-up album Kindala, released late 1991, but repackaged in some territories from the Brazilian version of the same name, also achieved some success. This release also gave Menezes a minor hit album in France too.
In 2001, Menezes released the highly acclaimed Afropopbrasileiro (also known as "Maga") showcasing her trademark fusion of afro-Brazilian beats. The album was produced by Carlinhos Brown of Tribalistas fame and was well received in Brazil and internationally.
Menezes also co-wrote and performed on the 2003 Tribalistas hit "Passe Em Casa", from the million-selling Tribalistas album.
Her 2005 single, "Como Tu", a duet with Brazilian superstar Ivete Sangalo was released amidst much hype because Sangalo was achieving platinum album sales at the time. The track reached the lower reaches of the airplay Top 30 in Brazil but failed to emulate the success of recent Sangalo hits. The hit single was lifted from Menezes' 2005 album release Pra Você; the album received lukewarm reviews, possibly owing to a more poppier sound than previous releases. A second single, the reggae-tinged "Miragem na esquina" performed poorly at radio.
In 2006, the album Pra Você received a Grammy nomination for "Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album".
More recently, Menezes participated on the track "Beijo Descarado" by Timbalada which achieved some airplay success in Brazil during the 2007 Carnival celebrations.
In 2010, an acoustic version of her 2008 album Naturalmente was released. The album was recorded at Ilha dos Sapos and featured guests like Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown and Portuguese singer Luis Represas.
Menezes remains one of the most dynamic and popular of the contemporary Brazilian artists achieving international recognition.
- Lyrics:
Elegibo, cidade encantada
Elegibo, sua majestade real
Araketu ritual do camdomblé
Exalta as cidades de guetho e sapé
Ferido ficou-se o homem
Utilizando seus poderes
Passaram-se anos difíceis
Sofreram muitos seres
Os vassalos ficaram sem pasto,
A fauna e a flora não brotavam mais
As mulheres ficaram estéreis
A flor do seu sexo não se abrirá jamais,
Ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo
Cidade florescente (elegibo)
Cidade reluzente (elegibo)
Os guerreiros lutaram entre si
Com golpes de vara, era o ritual
Durante várias horas
Travou-se batalhas entre o bem e o mal
Depois retornaram com o rei
Para a floresta sagrada
Onde comeram a massa
De inhame bem passada
Onde será comida por todos os seus
Negros homens em comunhão com deus
Ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo
Cidade florescente (elegibo)
Cidade reluzente (elegibo)
Elegibo, cidade encantada
Elegibo, sua majestade real
Araketu ritual do camdomblé
Exalta as cidades de guetho e sapé
Ferido ficou-se o homem
Utilizando seus poderes
Passaram-se anos difíceis
Sofreram muitos seres
Os vassalos ficaram sem pasto,
A fauna e a flora não brotavam mais
As mulheres ficaram estéreis
A flor do seu sexo não se abrirá jamais,
Ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo ele, ele
Ele, ele, elegibo
Elegibo, elegibo
Cidade florescente (elegibo)
Cidade reluzente (elegibo)
Friday, 26 August 2011
The ney (End-Blowing Flute)
* First Video:
* Second Video: Persian Ney
* Third Video: Avi Adir - Live Concert
* Forth Video:
* Sixth Video: Omar Faruk Tekbilek teaches about the Ney and Zurna$
"The ney" is an "end-blown flute that" figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute.
According to wikipedia, the ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. Ney is a Middle Persian word meaning reed. Modern neys may be made of metal or plastic tubing instead. The pitch of the ney varies depending on the region and the finger arrangement. A highly skilled ney player can reach more than three octaves, though it is more common to have several "helper" neys to cover different pitch ranges or to facilitate playing technical passages in other maqamat.
In Romanian, the word nai is also applied to a curved Pan flute.
The typical Persian ney is held with two hands and has 6 holes, one of which is on the back. The Arab and Turkish ney may have 7 holes.
Each hole has a range of a semitone, although microtones (and broader pitch inflections) are achieved via partial hole-covering, changes of embouchure, or positioning of the instrument. Microtonal inflection is very common and crucial to various traditions of taqsim.
Neys are constructed in various keys. In the Arab system, there are 7 common ranges: the longest and lowest-pitched is the Rast which is roughly equivalent to C in the Western equal temperament system, followed by the Dukah in D, the Busalik in E, the Jaharka in F, the Nawa in G, the Hussayni in A, and the Ajam in B (or Bb). Advanced players will typically own a set of several ney in various keys, although it is possible (albeit difficult) to play fully chromatically on any instrument. A slight exception to this rule is found in the extreme lowest range of the instrument, where the fingering becomes quite complex and the transition from the first octave (fundamental pitches) to the second is rather awkward.
In the Arab world the ney is traditionally used in pastoral areas, showing a preference for smaller neys with higher pitches. In general, lowered pitched instruments are used in scholastic and religious environment. Though in the Sufi tradition lower registers are studied and played.
The Turks use even longer neys reflecting a preference for graver sounds, an imprint of the Sufi setting in which the ney was studied.
* Second Video: Persian Ney
* Third Video: Avi Adir - Live Concert
* Forth Video:
* Sixth Video: Omar Faruk Tekbilek teaches about the Ney and Zurna$
"The ney" is an "end-blown flute that" figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute.
According to wikipedia, the ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. Ney is a Middle Persian word meaning reed. Modern neys may be made of metal or plastic tubing instead. The pitch of the ney varies depending on the region and the finger arrangement. A highly skilled ney player can reach more than three octaves, though it is more common to have several "helper" neys to cover different pitch ranges or to facilitate playing technical passages in other maqamat.
In Romanian, the word nai is also applied to a curved Pan flute.
The typical Persian ney is held with two hands and has 6 holes, one of which is on the back. The Arab and Turkish ney may have 7 holes.
Each hole has a range of a semitone, although microtones (and broader pitch inflections) are achieved via partial hole-covering, changes of embouchure, or positioning of the instrument. Microtonal inflection is very common and crucial to various traditions of taqsim.
Neys are constructed in various keys. In the Arab system, there are 7 common ranges: the longest and lowest-pitched is the Rast which is roughly equivalent to C in the Western equal temperament system, followed by the Dukah in D, the Busalik in E, the Jaharka in F, the Nawa in G, the Hussayni in A, and the Ajam in B (or Bb). Advanced players will typically own a set of several ney in various keys, although it is possible (albeit difficult) to play fully chromatically on any instrument. A slight exception to this rule is found in the extreme lowest range of the instrument, where the fingering becomes quite complex and the transition from the first octave (fundamental pitches) to the second is rather awkward.
In the Arab world the ney is traditionally used in pastoral areas, showing a preference for smaller neys with higher pitches. In general, lowered pitched instruments are used in scholastic and religious environment. Though in the Sufi tradition lower registers are studied and played.
The Turks use even longer neys reflecting a preference for graver sounds, an imprint of the Sufi setting in which the ney was studied.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
World Muisc: Gnawa
* First Video:
* Second Video:
Gnawa music is a mixture of sub-Saharan African, Berber, and Arabic religious songs and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dancing. The music is both a prayer and a celebration of life. Though many of the influences that formed this music can be traced to sub-Saharan Africa, and specifically, the Western Sahel, its practice is concentrated in north Africa, mainly Morocco. (See Gnawa for more details).
In a Gnawa song, one phrase or a few lines are repeated over and over throughout a particular song though the song may last a long time. In fact, a song may last several hours non-stop. The norm, though, is that what seems to the unintiniated to be one long song is actually a series of chants, which has to do with describing the various spirits (in Arabic mlouk (sing. melk)), so what seems to be a 20 minute piece may be a whole series of pieces, a suite for Sidi Moussa, Sidi Hamou, Sidi Mimoun or the others. But because they are suited for adepts in a state of trance, they go on and on, and have the effect, that they provoke trance from different angles.
The melodic language of the stringed instrument is closely related to their vocal music and to their speech patterns, as is the case in much African music. It is a language that emphasizes on the tonic and fifth, with quavering pitch-play, especially pitch-flattening, around the third, the fifth, and sometimes the seventh. This is the language of the blues.
krakebs or Qraqab
Gnawa music is characterized by instrumentation. The large heavy iron castanets known as qraqab (or krakebs large iron castanets; Ar. قراقب) and a three -string lute known commonly as a hajhuj (or gimbri) are central to Gnawa music.(Schuyler, 2008) The rhythms of the Gnawa, like their instrumentations are distinctive. Particularly Gnawa is characterized by interplay between triple and duple meters. The “big bass drums” mentioned by Schuyler are not typically featured in a more traditional setting. (Schaefer, 2005)
Gnawa have venerable stringed-instrument traditions involving both bowed lutes like the gogo and plucked lutes like the gimbri (Ar. چنبري; also called hajhuj, Ar. هجهوج or "sentir" Ar. سنتير), a three-stringed bass instrument. The Gnawa also use large drums called tbel (Ar. طبل ) in their ritual music. The Gnawa hajhuj has strong historical and musical links to West African lutes like the Hausa halam, a direct ancestor of the banjo.
Gnawa hajhuj players use a technique which 19th century American minstrel banjo instruction manuals identify as "brushless drop-thumb frailing". The "brushless" part means the fingers do not brush several strings at once to make chords. Instead, the thumb drops repeatedly in a hypnotically rhythmic pattern against the freely-vibrating bass string producing a throbbing drone, while the first two or three fingers of the same (right) hand pick out, often percussive patterns in a drum-like, almost telegraphic manner..
More Informations on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
* Second Video:
Gnawa music is a mixture of sub-Saharan African, Berber, and Arabic religious songs and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dancing. The music is both a prayer and a celebration of life. Though many of the influences that formed this music can be traced to sub-Saharan Africa, and specifically, the Western Sahel, its practice is concentrated in north Africa, mainly Morocco. (See Gnawa for more details).
In a Gnawa song, one phrase or a few lines are repeated over and over throughout a particular song though the song may last a long time. In fact, a song may last several hours non-stop. The norm, though, is that what seems to the unintiniated to be one long song is actually a series of chants, which has to do with describing the various spirits (in Arabic mlouk (sing. melk)), so what seems to be a 20 minute piece may be a whole series of pieces, a suite for Sidi Moussa, Sidi Hamou, Sidi Mimoun or the others. But because they are suited for adepts in a state of trance, they go on and on, and have the effect, that they provoke trance from different angles.
The melodic language of the stringed instrument is closely related to their vocal music and to their speech patterns, as is the case in much African music. It is a language that emphasizes on the tonic and fifth, with quavering pitch-play, especially pitch-flattening, around the third, the fifth, and sometimes the seventh. This is the language of the blues.
krakebs or Qraqab
Gnawa music is characterized by instrumentation. The large heavy iron castanets known as qraqab (or krakebs large iron castanets; Ar. قراقب) and a three -string lute known commonly as a hajhuj (or gimbri) are central to Gnawa music.(Schuyler, 2008) The rhythms of the Gnawa, like their instrumentations are distinctive. Particularly Gnawa is characterized by interplay between triple and duple meters. The “big bass drums” mentioned by Schuyler are not typically featured in a more traditional setting. (Schaefer, 2005)
Gnawa have venerable stringed-instrument traditions involving both bowed lutes like the gogo and plucked lutes like the gimbri (Ar. چنبري; also called hajhuj, Ar. هجهوج or "sentir" Ar. سنتير), a three-stringed bass instrument. The Gnawa also use large drums called tbel (Ar. طبل ) in their ritual music. The Gnawa hajhuj has strong historical and musical links to West African lutes like the Hausa halam, a direct ancestor of the banjo.
Gnawa hajhuj players use a technique which 19th century American minstrel banjo instruction manuals identify as "brushless drop-thumb frailing". The "brushless" part means the fingers do not brush several strings at once to make chords. Instead, the thumb drops repeatedly in a hypnotically rhythmic pattern against the freely-vibrating bass string producing a throbbing drone, while the first two or three fingers of the same (right) hand pick out, often percussive patterns in a drum-like, almost telegraphic manner..
More Informations on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
Saturday, 28 August 2010
World Music: "Outlandish Band"
* First Video: "Calling U"
* Second Vieo: "Walou"
* Third Video: "Aïcha"
Outlandish is a multi-award winning hip-hop group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, they consist of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (born in Honduras and is of Cuban and Honduran descent).
All three members are devoutly religious, Isam and Waqas being Muslims, and Lenny being Catholic. The band members live in Brøndby Strand.
The band have recently helped form the umbrella organization, Music With Meaning, that aims to bring together like-minded artists in order to promote and produce inspirational and meaningful music.
Its motto is "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything."
* Second Vieo: "Walou"
* Third Video: "Aïcha"
Outlandish is a multi-award winning hip-hop group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, they consist of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (born in Honduras and is of Cuban and Honduran descent).
All three members are devoutly religious, Isam and Waqas being Muslims, and Lenny being Catholic. The band members live in Brøndby Strand.
The band have recently helped form the umbrella organization, Music With Meaning, that aims to bring together like-minded artists in order to promote and produce inspirational and meaningful music.
Its motto is "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything."
World Music: MIGRI Brothers
* First Video:
* Second Video:
MIGRI Brothers is a Moroccan band formed in the seventies by the brothers: Hassan, Mahmoud, Younes and Jalila.
MIGRI Brothers marked the Moroccan musical history, they differ in style original songs that combine Western and Moroccan.
Among their popular songs is cited: Lili Twil, Ya mraya,Houriya, Di Dam Dam, Hiya Samra, Yal Hayem, Hada ana ... etc.
* Second Video:
MIGRI Brothers is a Moroccan band formed in the seventies by the brothers: Hassan, Mahmoud, Younes and Jalila.
MIGRI Brothers marked the Moroccan musical history, they differ in style original songs that combine Western and Moroccan.
Among their popular songs is cited: Lili Twil, Ya mraya,Houriya, Di Dam Dam, Hiya Samra, Yal Hayem, Hada ana ... etc.
Playing For Change: "Chanda Mama" - Song Around The World
From: http://playingforchange.com -
This Song Around The World is a folk tune from Chennai, India. We started the track in New Orleans and added musicians from the across the globe before finally delivering it the people of its origin. We ended up in Chennai recording and filming the vocals from the Oneness Choir. The track has a feeling of perseverance and joy and features vocalists from four continents.
Order the CD/DVD Playing For Change Songs Around The World" now at amazon.com!
http://tinyurl.com/c6mhgd
The Playing For Change "Songs Around The World" CD/DVD is also available at your neighborhood Starbucks and everywhere music is sold.
Order the "War/No More Trouble," "Stand By Me," "Don't Worry," and "One Love" videos and the new Songs Around The World album now at itunes!
http://tinyurl.com/pfcitunes
Sign up at http://playingforchange.com for updates and exclusive content. You can also buy cool stuff in our new online store!
Join the Playing for Change Online Street Team at:
http://ufanz.com/teams/playingforchange
Join the movement to help inspire people from around the world to come together through music.
World Music: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
* First Video:
* Second Video:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan(October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997) was a musician from Pakistan, primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis (a mystical tradition within Islam). He featured in Time magazine's 2006 list of "Asian Heroes".
The composition of Nusrat's ensemble — called a party (or Humnawa in Urdu) — changed over its 26 years. Listed below is a snapshot of the party, circa 1983:
1. Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan: Nusrat's first cousin, vocals
2. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's brother, vocals and lead harmonium
3. Rehmat Ali: vocals and second harmonium
4. Maqsood Hussain: vocals
5. Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's nephew & pupil, vocals
6. Dildar Hussain: percussion
7. Majawar Abbas: mandolin and guitar/chorus, handclapping
8. Mohammed Iqbal Naqvi: secretary of the party, chorus, handclapping
9. Asad Ali: chorus, handclapping. Nusrat's cousin
10. Ghulam Farid: chorus, handclapping
11. Kaukab Ali: chorus, handclapping
The one significant member of the party who does not appear on this list is Atta Fareed. For many years, he alternated with Rehmat Ali on vocals and second harmonium. He is easily identifiable in videos since he plays the harmonium left-handed.
This snapshot is non-representative in one respect: harmoniums were usually the only instruments. Only rarely were instruments like mandolin or guitar used.
* Second Video:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan(October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997) was a musician from Pakistan, primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis (a mystical tradition within Islam). He featured in Time magazine's 2006 list of "Asian Heroes".
The composition of Nusrat's ensemble — called a party (or Humnawa in Urdu) — changed over its 26 years. Listed below is a snapshot of the party, circa 1983:
1. Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan: Nusrat's first cousin, vocals
2. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's brother, vocals and lead harmonium
3. Rehmat Ali: vocals and second harmonium
4. Maqsood Hussain: vocals
5. Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's nephew & pupil, vocals
6. Dildar Hussain: percussion
7. Majawar Abbas: mandolin and guitar/chorus, handclapping
8. Mohammed Iqbal Naqvi: secretary of the party, chorus, handclapping
9. Asad Ali: chorus, handclapping. Nusrat's cousin
10. Ghulam Farid: chorus, handclapping
11. Kaukab Ali: chorus, handclapping
The one significant member of the party who does not appear on this list is Atta Fareed. For many years, he alternated with Rehmat Ali on vocals and second harmonium. He is easily identifiable in videos since he plays the harmonium left-handed.
This snapshot is non-representative in one respect: harmoniums were usually the only instruments. Only rarely were instruments like mandolin or guitar used.
World Music: RiverDance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant watershed in Irish culture.
Riverdance has its roots in a three-part suite of baroque-infuenced traditional music called "Timedance" composed, recorded and performed for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which was hosted by Ireland. At the time members of Irish folk band Planxty, Bill Whelan and Donal Lunny composed the music, augmenting the band with a rock rhythm section of electric bass and drums and a four-piece horn section. The piece was performed, with accompanying ballet dancers, during the intervial of the contest, and later released as a Planxty single.
In a book about Planxty ("The Humours of Planxty", by Leagues O'Toole), Whelan says "It was no mistake of mine to call it Riverdance because it connected absolutely to Timedance. It was a nod in the direction of where I believed it came from".
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