Explorer: East Africa - Witchcraft & Ritual [Original recording reissued]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B00006C760
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,277 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Captured is the spirit of a musical heritage now nearly extinct. The music comes from a part of East Africa whose musical traditions remain largely unknown to the rest of the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse into the lives of others, March 4, 2003

By 

Pharoah S. Wail (Inner Space) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Explorer: East Africa - Witchcraft & Ritual (Audio CD)

From healing dances to funeral dances to rites of passage, etc...

Quite often when you hear people talk of "African music" they either mean one of the bland Afro-pop bands, or only the music of West Africa. With this disc you get to hear something outside the realms of both. These are high-quality field-recordings from Kenya (all but one track) and Tanzania. I love the quality of these remasters. Sometimes remasters sound sterile or have a dullness to them because someone went nuts with a new digital gadget. Thankfully these recordings still sound very full and natural.

On this cd you'll hear various percussion, chants, singing, stringed instruments, and horns. Not trumpets or saxophones but an indigenous horn on 2 tracks. It has a bit of a grainy tone but I'm not sure if it has a reed or not. It sounds somewhat like the myriad of oboe-family instruments that can be found almost all throughout Asia.

If so far you have mainly only focused on the musics of West Africa then this would be an interesting place to start branching out to other regions of the continent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Re-Release from Nonesuch Explorer, October 15, 2002

By 

Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Explorer: East Africa - Witchcraft & Ritual (Audio CD)

This CD, originally released as "Kenya & Tanzania: Witchcraft and Ritual Music", has recently been re-released, and I couldn't be happier. While I would have liked to see the use of the word "witch" removed in favor of something less offensive (witchcraft is still very feared in much of Africa), this CD remains a wonderful addition to any collection of African music. Drawing from recordings of indigenous religious practices in Kenya and Tanzania, this CD provides an excellent anthology of tribal healing, rites of passage and ceremonies. And this is not modern either. The music here is an excellent survey of authentic tribal music, with a deep religious significance. Even if you cannot understand the lyrics, the music will reach out and touch your soul. After all, music is healing. Give this CD a shot.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad ... !, December 21, 2002

By 

Kevin Morrison (Galesburg, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Explorer: East Africa - Witchcraft & Ritual (Audio CD)

This cd is really, really good. i have been trying to explore other musical selections lately and i stumbled upon this. It takes a little getting used to but it's defenitely some bad ... music. It's body music. The distubing thing about this cd is the two songs having to do with Female Circumsion which almost made me vomit as those were my favorite songs until i discovered their meaning and use.