MEXIQUE

 

MEXIQUE/L'ART DU VIOLON HUASTEQUE

MEXICO/THE ART OF THE HUASTEC VIOLIN

musique et documents

BAM, Edition AZ, 1976, LD 5 868

Mexico is well-known for the music played by the mariachis but this is a small part of the rich musical culture from the Tex-Mex like music in the North to the music of the Maya in the South.
One of the most living traditons in Mexico is located on the east coast where the Huastecs had their land before the Spanish conquest. There, the violin is everywhere associated to local types of guitars : the jarana and huapanguera guitars.
All the music of this album was recorded in the field by the Frenchman Serge Roterman on the 6th of March 1976. He was a musicologist and he lived in Mexico with his wife.
The traditional musicians here are Alfonso Amador (vocals and jarana, aged 70 at the time), Rolando Hernandez (violin) and Wilebaldo Amador, Alfonso's son (huapanguera, vocals). There are a lot of trios like this one, some of them achieved international fame thanks to a label like Arhoolie.
The repertoire is based on great songs and tunes of the tradition like la Petenera, el Gusto or el Toro Zacamandu played by three solid musicians.
The text in French gives some of the lyrics in Spanish with translation and explains the origins of this music.

download.wav

Na h-Oganaich (Young Blood)

 

NA h-OGANAICH (YOUNG BLOOD)

GAEL FORCE 3

Beltona Sword, 1974, SBE 160

This is the second album of this Scottish trio which was precursor of other bands like Capercaillie.
After a first album with vocals and guitars they choose to go for a different sound with some accordion, bass guitar, drums and a small section of violins led by Ian Gourlay. It might sound like some pop music or light music but all the melodies are either traditional or composed in that spirit and the lyrics are in Gaelic only. Maybe the goal was to offer something easier to listen to especially when we don't understand the language.
I must say that my copy is a second hand one with some cracking. I know it is not easy to set aside that kind of background noise especially on a track like Faili Oro sung a capella in harmonies (my favorite track). But I really like them so I hope you would find some pleasure in it nevertheless.
Alan Stivell recorded his own version of Faili Oro and the last song on B5 became part of the Bothy Band repertoire.  

download.wav

АЛА-TOO КҮҮЛѲРҮ 2

 

АЛА-TOO КҮҮЛѲРҮ 2/ MEЛOДИИ АЛА-TOO 2

ALA-TOO MELODIES 2

Melodiya, 1984, M9046027-28

Second album from a series of five; as for the first LP side A is about Kyrgyz traditional music with instrumental solos mainly  as well as four songs with komuz. Side B focuses on songs and kius composed by folk musicians.
This time my copy is the same as what I found on the net on a Russian site. Except that again there are two LP whereas I've got only one.
Kyrgyz titles in scan.

Первая пластинка: Киргизская нар. музыка – side A 

1. В юрте;
2. Пастуший наигрыш;
3. Белая овечка;
4. Парный свист
5. Пестрая лощина;
6. Камбаркан;
7. Выступление Манаса в великий поход (отрывок);
8. Песня табунщиков;
9. Птичка;
10. Из Арпынской Ала-Тоо;
11. Слаще меда;
12. Белоликая Зыйяат.

 

Песни и кю нар. музыкантов – side B

13. Горестный кю (Музооке);
14. Шалкы кю, импровизация (Майлыбай);
15. Несбывшаяся мечта (Капал);
16. Кю-импровизация (Ниязаалы);
17. Скачка (Жолой);
18. Укей (Б. Жакынбеков);
19. Песня Сыртбая (Сыртбай);
20. Песня молодости (Ысакан);
21. Ах, эта (К. Нурдовлетов);
22. Кю бахвальства (Айдараалы).

 

Муса Баетов - пение, комуз (12), Сайд Бекмуратов - кыяк (17), Шералы Жапаров - медный, поперечный чоор (2), Шакин Жоробанова - жыгач ооз комуз (10, 18, 19), Ажар Карачинова - ооз комуз (4), Муратаалы Куренкеев - кыяк (5), Жунусаалы Куттубаев - сурнай (3), Экия Мукамбетов - пение, комуз (20), Молдобасан Мусулманкулов (7), Калмурат Нурдовлетов - пение, комуз (21), Мыскал Омурканова - пение, комуз (11), Батийма Саргасанова - пение, комуз (9), Шекербек Шеркулов - комуз (13, 14), Асылбек Эшмамбетов - комуз (15, 16), ансамбль комузистов (22), вокальный ансамбль (8). Записи 1930-х - 1970-х гг.

download.wav

SERBIAN FOLK MUSIC

 

СРПСКА НАРОДНА МУЗИКА

SERBIAN FOLK MUSIC

RTB, 1981, 2510057

As the cover suggest it, this is an album about the traditional peasant society in Serbia. The recordings were made in the field by Radmila Petrović and produced by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Singing is quite dominant in the life of these villagers and they sing about the main activities and events : work songs, wedding songs, shepherd songs, ritual songs etc... Most of them are performed in antiphony with two groups of women or women and men. Instrumental music is illustrated by one solo on the flute svirala and two sets of kolos on two different types of gajda.
This is the "real stuff'' from the Slavic strata that persisted in Serbia at the time. Petrović who wrote the notes doesn't say when these recordings were made (I'd say the 70s considering the years of birth of the performers between 1905 and 1966).
Track B11 has a lot of saturation that I couldn't avoid (maybe the pressing is at issue ?); generally sreaking the quality of the recording is not perfect but the informants are quite outstanding.
Texts in Serbian an English. 

download.wav