Mbuti Pygmies of Ituri Rainforest

Product Description
The music of the Mbuti is primarily focused around vocal music and this recording beautifully captures the extraordinary variety and tonal quality of the solo and choral traditions. The songs are primarily about the Mbuti's nomadic life and the forest, from which their lives and those of the animal kingdom are sustained. This compilation set a new standard for quality ethnic field recordings for all labels in ethnic music. These prized recordings have been remastered and resequenced to reflect Dr. Turnbull's original mode: the recording begins in the forest with music associated with hunting and gathering, then moves to the village for a Bantu initiation ritual and finally returns to the forest for the Mbuti rituals. This record documents the music discussed in the book The Forest People, read by many anthropology classes. A superbly annotated favorite among world music enthusiasts. "...from the moment Colin Turnbull lets the chatter and work rhythms of the encampment he's approaching engulf the jungle's ambient insect and bird music, I'm hooked." -- The Village Voice

Tracks:

In The Rainforest Approaching A Forest Camp
Elephant Hunting Song
Elephant-Hunt Song
Spear Song
Cries Of Beaters, Signalling And Shouting
Honey-Gathering Song
Animal Dance Song
Flute Duet
Flute Solo
Slit-Gong Signalling
Mbuti Dance In Bantu Village
Lukembi And Voice
Lukembi (Mbuti)
Bachelor Duet With Lukembi
Musical Bow
Musical Sticks
Nkumbi Initiation Song
First Song Of The Elima
Second Song Of The Elima
First Molimo Fire Dance Song
Second Molimo Fire Dance Song
Molimo Song With Argument
First Molimo Song For Great Occasion
Second Molimo Song For Great Occasion
Molimo Song 'Darkness Is Good'
Molimo Song Of Devotion To The Forest

Album Description

The music of the Mbuti is primarily focused around vocal music and this recording beautifully captures the extraordinary variety and tonal quality of the solo and choral traditions. The songs are primarily about the Mbuti's nomadic life and the forest, from which their lives and those of the animal kingdom are sustained. This compilation set a new standard for quality ethnic field recordings for all labels in ethnic music. These prized recordings have been remastered and resequenced to reflect Dr. Turnbull's original mode: the recording begins in the forest with music associated with hunting and gathering, then moves to the village for a Bantu initiation ritual and finally returns to the forest for the Mbuti rituals. This record documents the music discussed in the book The Forest People, read by many anthropology classes. A superbly annotated favorite among world music enthusiasts. "...from the moment Colin Turnbull lets the chatter and work rhythms of the encampment he's approaching engulf the jungle's ambient insect and bird music, I'm hooked." -- The Village Voice

Customer Reviews:

Genius in the forest.......2003-06-30

I've had this cd for 4 or 5 years and have always loved it, but just now as I was browsing this site I realized I never wrote a review for it.

This disc is fantastic. It collects the recordings from 2 previous LP's and is a collection of 1950's field-recordings from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire at the time these recordings were made).

This is largely vocal music. A feast of layered, rhythmic, cyclical vocal repetition. When trying to describe this music to a Westerner, I usually say that this must be the music that inspired Philip Glass' overall concept, except that Mbuti music is so much better, deeper, transportational and more emotional. He fails at what they have mastered. This music is probably coming out of the oldest rhythmic and harmonic tradition of any music I own. I lose myself in the rhythmic repetition of these voices. There are times when I listen to this cd where I feel like I have been zapped 10,000 years back in time. This is just purely spiritual music, and one of the most technically advanced ancient rainforest musics I've ever heard (at least so far). There's no Western influence to water it down or take away from its traditional power.

I rarely use the word "genius" to describe people, because I feel that word is thrown around like nothing, quite often. In the case of the Mbuti's though, I feel that genius fits perfectly. Probably 98% of their musical tradition is ensemble vocal music, yet in the couple instances where they do use instruments (often borrowed or stolen from outsiders, the liner-notes say), they are just as incredible. There are a few mbira (thumb piano) tracks on here that are beautiful. Some of the best mbira music I've ever heard. They also seem to be just as adept with musical sticks and musical bows. For a people who seem to not care about instruments one way or the other, they seem to master everything they touch, no matter how briefly.

This is an excellent cd. One of my favorites.

Rock Music: