Caratinga - Soundscapes from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest

Douglas Quin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00005TT5W
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #623,927 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Stream at Dawn

2. Brown Howler Monkeys

3. Black-capped capuchin Monkeys

4. White-bearded Manakin Bird

5. Buffy-headed Marmosets

6. Northern Muriqui, or Woolly Spider Monkey

7. Afternoon Storm

8. Frog Nocturne #1

9. Frog Nocturne #2

Editorial Reviews

Russell A. Mittermeier President, Conservation International; and Chairman, IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group

"This wonderful CD captures the sounds of Caratinga...and conveys very effectively what an enchanted forest it really is."

Product Description

This CD, co-produced by Conservation International and EarthEar, presents lush, neotropical soundscapes from the Caratinga Biological Station in Brazil¹s disappearing Atlantic Rainforest. Its nine extended tracks of natural soundscapes explore the rich acoustic ecology of the area, including intimate portraits of the daily lives of primates, focusing on the endangered muriqui (or wooly spider monkey), and also featuring howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, marmosets, tree frogs, and many birds, creating a sonic overview of the cycle of day and night in the forest.

The CD begins with a morning chorus of birdsong along a small creek, then moves in to the forest for visits with each of the three main species of primates. An especially unique segment observes the mating lek of the White-bearded Manakin, a small understory bird which engages in an extraordinary aerial display including several calls and popping and snapping sound from their wings. An afternoon storm gives way to an especially engaging evening frog chorus to end the disc.

Half the revenue received from sales of this disc will be send directly to the Caratinga Biological station, to support the important work being done there to study and protect this endangered habitat and soundscape.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ugly Beauty, April 1, 2006

By 

Robert Carlberg (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Caratinga - Soundscapes from Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest (Audio CD)

Howler monkeys have an unpleasant guttural bark which sounds like a cross between an attack dog and a chainsaw. Some of the other primates in the Caratinga Biological Station in eastern Brazil sound like oversize squirrels, angry piglets or sped-up donkeys.

To be blunt, none of them sound very pleasant.

This CD consists of nine tracks, most in the 7-12 minute range. The longest track documents the approach of a violent thunderstorm and subsequent drenching rain, captured in stunning digital fidelity.

There's no denying that these recordings are very well done, with lots of 3-dimensional background detail, variety, high fidelity and low noise. It's too bad the sounds, amazing as they are, have all the appeal of a rusty chainsaw.