Rather Complicated Steps, Contortions, and Very Rapid Sudden Breaks

Music and Dances of Occidental Africa

(Photo to come)

When I find records as good as this one, I start to wonder how a record store could think to sell it for only 3 bucks. Folkways recordings usually go for at least 5 or 7 euros (though sometimes more). And most of them are dull and often poorly recorded. This record was released by the Olympic Records Corporation (200 West 57th Street, NYC) in 1974, and is part of the Atlas Series ("Music from around the world"). It's not just interesting and well recorded, it's also groovy and catchy.

The recordings on the first side are all made in Guinea. They are folk songs of the Malinké people. The first track, "Festival Music," sounds like a Steve Reich recording from the early 70s: a pop song built from simple xylophone lines repeated by three players accompanied by a chorus of women. Most of the tracks feature a large chorus singing in unison. But there's also a highly syncopated drum track—there's always at least one on these African field recording records—and "Solo for the Seron," which sounds like an African take on delta blues.

The recordings on the second side are all made in the Ivory Coast and are the songs of the Baoulé people. The liner notes to the record describe the Malinké as being strict puritanical people and the Baoulé as ostentatious. It's kinda odd, then, that the music from the first side is so festive, while the music from the second side is so much more reserved. "Duet for Flutes" sounds like a somber piece from Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill's Buster Bee. Most of the second side is solos and duets, and even the choral song is quite relaxed—more about harmonizing than expressing overjoy. Not that this side doesn't also have its festive moments: it opens and closes with festival music full of hand percussion and large choruses.

Take Up The Gun And Establish Self-Rule

Transfer #2: The ZANU Choir's Pamberi ne Chimurenga

(back cover)

ZANU is the Zimbabwe African National Union, the political wing of the Maoist faction of the majority-rule movement in Zimbabwe in the 1970s; the militant wing being ZANLA, the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army. They and ZAPU—the Zimbabwe African People's Union, the Soviet backed faction (with its Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army, ZIPRA)—used song to stir up the masses. "Chimurenga" is shona for "struggle"; these are songs of the struggle.

This LP, recorded in the soldier camps sometime in the 1970s, most likely in Mozambique (see Thomas Turino's Nationalists, Cosmopolitans, and Popular Music in Zimbabwe for info, especially pp. 206–207), contains folk songs, church songs and European choral music with the words changed to spread the revolutionary message. The idea was to use songs familiar to the people, allowing for easy teaching. Most songs are purely vocal, since instruments were not widely available in the soldier's camps; but a few have really great hand percussion.

My favorite track is the first one, "Zvinozibwa NeZANU," apparently hymn-based, according to Turino. It tells the story of ZANU:

of how "The sons and daughters of Zimbabwe came together to form a Party," and how they "chose Mugabe to lead the people." It told how "after our leaders left the country, we followed them, one by one in small groups until there were many of us." The song tells of how nationalist leaders were jailed and murdered, and concludes, "Now we are armed to the teeth, Our soliders are spoiling for a fight" (Turino, p. 211)