Customer Reviews

Music of the Nile: The Original African Sanctus Journey

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I sent for this CD because I thought it WAS African Sanctus. But of course it is the collection of taped songs and sounds which were used as the "ethnic" parts of the composition. I think they are even more beautiful listened to as pieces standing on their own merit. In the final form of the Christian Mass, these pieces are made to play different parts than they would on their own, and it is a "freeing" experience to hear them this way. The collection is lovely, exciting, and moving; I live in Cairo, Egypt most of the time, and yet it is difficult to find Egyptian music as varied as this on the local radio.

Decidedly noncommercial, richly authentic tribal and traditional music gathered from along the length of the Nile River, in countries as diverse as Egypt, Uganda, Kenya and the Sudan. Islamic prayers, cattle herding songs, children's tunes and various ritual chants intermingle on this multi-textured, fascinating collection. Not the glossy, pop-tinged world music we've come to know and love, but certainly a fascinating glimpse into several other, very different cultures. If you like stuff that sounds different and unusual, this CD is very nice.