#4466, Voices and Percussion
There's music for voice- the original instrument- along with percussion in songs by South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo, French sextet San Salvador, Estonian vocal group Greip, and American composer and vocalist Bobby McFerrin.
The South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo was formed in 1960 by the late Joseph Shabalala, has recorded more than 50 albums (five have won Grammys), and they were anointed “cultural ambassadors to the world” by no less than Nelson Mandela. Many listeners got to know them from Paul Simon's 1986 "Graceland" album. Hear their uplifting vocal harmonies on a tune from their 1987 record, Shaka Zulu.
Then, hear the six voices, two tom-toms, twelve hands, and a tambourine of the group San Salvador, from the city of Saint-Salvadour in France, who sing in Occitan. Their searing voices, delivered in either hockets or harmonies, are expertly arranged to play nicely with clever drumbeats and handclaps on “Fai Sautar.” There’s a selection from the Estonian vocal group Greip (translates as “grapefruit”), and their inspired contemporary rendition of the folk song, “Vihma Loits,” (Rain Spell) featuring only their voices and beatboxed percussion. Also, there's music from the Belgian Marie Daulne and her band Zap Mama, which has its roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With their stunning five-part harmonies, Zap Mama mix up Pygmy music, Central African and Arabic pop tunes, human beatbox sounds, AfroCuban rhythms, and early madrigals with a touch of Soul and Gospel.
Listen to a work where the voice acts as percussion instrument from vocal innovator, conductor, and improviser Bobby McFerrin and friends. It’s an extension of his “voice-estra” – from an improvisation session, and appears on his record, “Circlesongs.” There’s also music from Linda Tillery and the six-member Cultural Heritage Choir drawn from the South Carolina sea islands, part of the region where Gullah people and their language developed a Creole language and culture.
Then, hear the versatile singer/composer Moira Smiley and the vocal ensemble VOCO, who do songs from the Scandinavian tradition, American and Eastern European folksong, and Smiley’s polyphonic originals combined with percussion. There’s also a work by the American composer Eric Whitacre and his setting of a text by Nobel Prize-winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz. In it, the vocal group Polyphony together with a children’s choir simulate a storm by rattling tin for thunder and finger-snapping as rain. And more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4466, Voices and Percussion (First Aired 3/2/2021)
ARTIST: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
WORK: Wawusho Kubani [1:00]
RECORDING: Shaka Zulu
SOURCE: Warner Brothers
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, Youtube
ARTIST: San Salvador
WORK: Fai Sautar [3:00]
RECORDING: La Grand Folie
SOURCE: Pagans
INFO: pagans.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble
WORK: Panda Chant II [1:40]
RECORDING: Do You Be
SOURCE: ECM 1336
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
WORK: Wawusho Kubani [5:29]
RECORDING: Shaka Zulu
SOURCE: Warner Brothers
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, Youtube
ARTIST: Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
WORK: Goin' Home Tomorrow [3:14]
RECORDING: Front Porch Music
SOURCE: Rhino 72881
INFO: Out of print. Try Amazon.com or Singers.com
ARTIST: Witch Camp (Ghana)
WORK: PROTECTION [1:30]
RECORDING: I’ve Forgotten Now Who I Used to Be
SOURCE: Six Degrees Records | Due out March 12
INFO: https://ffm.to/witchcampghana
ARTIST: Various: Fajri
WORK: Ya Leil [3:55]
RECORDING: Péninsule Arabique, Vol. 2: Musique Des Pêcheurs De Perles / Music Of The Pearl Divers
SOURCE: VDE-Gallo Records – VDE-781, Archives Internationales de Musique Populaire – AIMP XXXI
INFO: Out of print. Try Discogs.com or YouTube, OR Smithsonian Folkways has a different collection of these 'sea songs' from a UNESCO recording
ARTIST: Eric Whitacre | Polyphony | Stephen Layton
WORK: Whitacre: Cloudburst [8:24]
RECORDING: Cloudburst
SOURCE: Hyperion 67543
INFO: hyperion-records.co.uk
ARTIST: Greip
WORK: Vihma Loits (Rain Spell) [2:59]
RECORDING: Üks Viis
SOURCE: Available at muusika24.ee
INFO: greip.eu
ARTIST: Moira Smiley & VOCO
WORK: Dream Dve Nevest [2:32]
RECORDING: Laughter Out Of Tears
SOURCE/INFO: moirasmiley.com
ARTIST: Zap Mama
WORK: Babanzélé [7:35]
RECORDING: Adventures In Afropea 1 Vol. 1
SOURCE: Luaka Bop #45183
INFO: luakabop.com
ARTIST: Bobby McFerrin
WORK: Circlesong 6 [7:50]
RECORDING: Circlesongs
SOURCE: Sony #62734
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
