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Japanese Taiko Joji Hirota & the Taiko Drummers $30 |
The mighty thunder of huge taiko drums. Intricate and fascinating rhythms and soundscapes played on a wide variety of drums and percussion. Moving on from purely traditional rhythms into “drum music” or “melodic drumming”. Info about artist, music and the drums used in English, German, French and Spanish. |
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Music from Azerbaijan (Central Asia) Sari Gelin Ensemble $28 |
A superbly beautiful album of traditional
music from Azerbaijan, with Gochaq Askerov, one of the most celebrated
singers of Azerbaijan. Traditional instruments, tar (lute),
kamancha (fiddle), balaban, zurna (wind instruments),
naqara (drum) played by some of the best players of the country. Extensive information on the musical traditions (mugham), performers and the traditional instruments plus photos. |
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Walking On by The Ananda Shankar Experience and State of Bengal New $26 Jewel case, 11 tracks including two live tracks |
Loathe as anyone should be to reinforce vapid
cultural clichés, nothing other than shagadelic truly describes
this collaboration between pop sitar player Ananda Shankar (nephew of Ravi)
and Sam Zaman, the musician and producer known as State of Bengal. Walking
On is a sonic journey back to a time when the sitar's sound
automatically signified "psychedelic," a time when composer John
Barry's sassy film themes were the ne plus ultra of bachelor-pad
sophistication. Shankar (who died shortly after completing the album)
plays surf sitar, rock sitar, EZ-listening sitar, and German soundtrack
sitar (fans of high-speed jazz-rock sitar, however, are directed to Ashwin
Batish). Although Shankar's playing sometimes sounds at odds with
Zaman's techno beats, the two make a convincing case for "the '90s is
the '60s upside down" argument. |
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Rain Dropping on the Banana Tree: An
anthology of Chinese Classical Music Various Artists CHINA New $20 Jewel case, 24 tracks |
Recorded mostly in China
itself between the years 1902 and 1930 these early Chinese classical
pieces were cut for commercial release on 78 rpm records for audiences
in China and beyond. Rain Dropping On The Banana Tree is a fascinating
glimpse into an earlier era. Compiled and annotated by Dick Spottswood. |
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The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan Various Artists JAPAN Used: $17 Excellent condition, jewel case, 19 tracks 77:39 minutes, |
While
only a 'rough' guide to Japan's music, just about all the major roots
music styles and main instruments are presented. Not included are
'popular' forms such as kayokyoku, a kind of Japanese MOR, or enka, akin
to say American country music. The folk (min'yo) and traditional music
worlds are in reality quite distinct from one another. Their inclusion
together, along with modern roots music, may cause some purists to
consider committing harikiri. Their idea of the 'real Japan' is that
mystical one, before westernization 130 years ago. This however, is the
Japan of the imagination. Nothing is more 'real' than the happy
co-existence of the old and new with a touch of kitsch thrown in.
Whether in music or the metropolitan nightmare most musicians inhabit. |
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Sufi Songs Shafqat Ali Khan PAKISTAN New: $28 Jewel case, 10 tracks, time: 71:53, also contains 20 page booklet. |
This album
presents Shafqat Ali Khan in a traditional Sufi setting. The
instrumentation: surmandal, harmonium, tanpura, sarangi and tabla. The
songs are sung in kafi style (ancient style from Punjab), raga style, as
well as light classical, presenting sufi poetry, love songs and
devotional songs. The booklet informs about the artist and the music in
English, German, French and Spanish. |
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TIBET: Ritual Music and
Chants of the Gelug Tradition by The Tibetan Monks of the Sera Jé Monastery TIBET Includes a 96-page, full-color, illustrated book and CD. $28 |
Tibetan monks of Sera Jé in a colorful pageant of ritual music invoking a pantheon of wrathful and peaceful deities, guardians, spirits, and the realized masters of their lineage. Featuring chanting, horns, drums and cymbals. A profound meditative, esoteric experience. A unique production. |