027 Personal Field Recordings from Nigeria 8-26-10
This week’s show features all music recorded by me during my trip to Nigeria this summer. I studied the Yoruba language and culture, so all of the tracks feature Yoruba musical styling. Starts off with a journey to the Alaafin of Oyo ’s palace where we saw one of the biggest egungun festivals in all of Yorubaland.
This features the use of the dundun or talking drum. Then we travel to the small town of Erin-Osun to hear another type of drum, the bata drum, during one of their egungun festivals. Then to Osogbo where we visit the annual Ifa Festival honoring Ifa, the orisa of divinity. Ifa is also the name of the traditional religion in Yorubaland. You hear the interlocking rhythmic techniques of 4 upright stick-beaten drums called Agbamale, as well as a agogo bell ensemble. Then to Ibadan, where we experience a typical Ifa religious service, happening every Saturday. As a interesting comparison, we hear a couple songs heard at a typical Protestant Nigerian Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Ile-Ife, blending Southern Baptist hymnals with Yoruba rhythms and drums. Then we go into vocal styles. The first is chanting and repetitive rhythmic ostinado of an elderly woman’s chanting group, performing at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife.
Then a trip our YGPA classroom and we hear various folk songs and songs of the orisas sung by teacher Adeola Faleye and our class. We end the program with master drummer and lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University, Akintunde Gbeminiyi, demonstrating well known dundun (talking drum) proverbs. Also a big thank you to Jesse Ruskin for the recording of Akintunde Gbeminiyi demonstrating the call and response vocal styles of the dundun. To finish of the segment of the talking drum, Mr. Gbeminiyi vocally says a well-known drum poem “Woru O” then plays it on the drum while saying it, and then just plays it with no verbalizing. I hope this was as much fun to listen to as it was to record and experience!
Thanks so much to my good friend Olusanu for providing the insight into Yoruba music and for the WUOG live ID!
If ou have any questions, send them on over to afrika@wuog.org
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Playlist
date and occasion – place
6-28-10 Dundun ensemble performance @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-10-10 Oyo egungun festival – Alaafin entrance @ Oyo palace
7-10-10 Oyo egungun festival – masqueraders come out @ Oyo palace
6-20-10 Erin-Osun egungun festival – bata drums @ Erin Osun
7-23-10 Ifa Festival – Agbamale drums and chanting @ Osogbo
7-23-10 Ifa Festival – agogo ensemble @ Osogbo
7-24-10 Ifa Temple – fast drum track @ Ibadan
8-8-10 Ebenezer Babtist Church – hymn @ Ile-Ife
8-8-10 Ebenezer Babtist Church – spiritual @ Ile-Ife
7-26-10 Elderly women’s drumming and chanting @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-23-10 Mrs. Faleye and class -Mo Foju Bodu @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-23-10 Mrs. Faleye and class – Oya @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-23-10 Mrs. Faleye and class – Ogun @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-23-10 Mrs. Faleye and class – Sango @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-2-10 Akintunde Gbeminiyi – Iwo Ko Lo Da Mi + proverbs @ Obafemi Awolowo University
Akintunde Gbeminiyi – Ayanwale
Akintunde Gbeminiyi Woru O breakdown (words and drums) @ Obafemi Awolowo University
7-19-10 Cultural Drum Dance performance @ Obafemi Awolowo Universit














