Customer Reviews

A Native American Odyssey: Inuit to Inca

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me tell you, this is a real jewel. It is an excellent introduction to the contemporary music of Native America, or a great addition to your collection if your interested. One of the great things about this is that it takes Native American music from across both continents. Too often I've seen Native American music CDs that ignore Latin American Indians completely. This one is an excellent break from that and includes Native American musicians from almost every region, ranging from Alaska and Canada, into the United States, down to Mexico, into the Amazon and over to the Andes.
The musicians on this album are all top notch. Among them, include legendary flutist Bill Miller, Marlui Miranda, who incorporates Amazonian tribal music with modern music, the hauntingly beautiful duo of Tudjaat and the Incan pan pipes of Bolivia Manta. Most of the songs, such as "Vale do Jauari", "Akua Tuta", "Nendaa - Go Back", and "Ni'bixi dxi Zina", have a wonderful ephemeral sound to them. Simply breath taking. I cannot over emphasize how wonderful this CD is.

Didn't know quite what to expect and bought it just to see. The music is very varied and original. Some very beautiful pieces in diverse languages. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful collection of contemporary Native music from the Americas. What I found most exciting was the diverse representation on the CD. The album includes music from all around the Americas, including Andean, Amazon, Apache, and Inuit. The artists that really stood out to me were Tudjaat from Canada and Regional Vermelho E Branco of Brazil. The album is full of enjoyable songs that in one way or another beautifully preserve and celebrate Native American cultures.

I love Putumayo Records and their diverse compilations. I recently picked up a copy of A Native American Odyssey: Inuit to Inca. It did not take me very long to become addicted to the music. I'll admit that collection of songs barely scratches the surface when it comes to Native American music however I think it is a wonderful representation of Native American music to this new listener. I particularly love the song "Qingauiit" by Tudjaat with the gentle rhythms of the percussion and beautiful female vocals. The track "White River Life/Dine/USA" by Burning Sky. While the music is clearly modern, the lyrics certainly is pure Native American. Another personal favorite track is "Nendaa-Go Back" by Jerry Alfred & The Medicine Beat. I love the melodies and the harmonies on this particular song. There is not one song on the entire compilation I did not enjoy. I find it very soothing and relaxing to listen to at any time of day.

Excellent way to get turned on to many new artists at once. Not a dud on the CD. : )

I bought this CD antiscipating another "Sacred Spirit" album but what it lacks in intensity it makes up for in diversity. The style is more Joanne Shenandoah with soft country than flute and drum music. What is important about this album is how it is an authentic synergie of the western influence upon indigenous peoples lives. It may not appeal to purists who are expecting the fiery vocals of defiance from "Sacred Spirit" because most of the songs from the North American Native peoples are sung in English on this album However it has its own quiet dignity none the less.

Have listened to this CD countless times and still find more depth and nuances to the melodies. They grow into you even if you cannot understand the languages, but the intensity, sadness, and poetry is alive in each melody. We have to recognize that Native Americans, from the Eskimo Inuits to the Patagonians, suffered the invasion of their lands and the displacement of their culture. It is a noble profession to remember the melodies and sing them in the native language, to inspire admiration for cultures different from ours, but still beautiful. Highly recommended.

I heard some of the songs on this CD while I was in the Native American museum in Washington DC last year and instantly fell in love with the music. My father loves Native American memorabilia and the music as well but never owned any songs so I bought 2 copies;one for him at the museum and one for myself on this site.

This is an absolute must have to remember and honor all the Native American tribes.

When Putumayo launched its odyssey series,its first couple of tries weren't the best.I give them the benefit of the doubt.They were newcomers to world music,and one of the first world music labels.

This album has some highlights-Jaramar has a haunting song about the mystical turtle,Marlui Miranda has talent,Tudjaat is enchanting,and Andrew Vasquez,Bill Miller&Burning Sky meld Native American traditions with contemporary folk.The rest is quite repetitive (the same problem I had with "Cairo to Casablanca:A North African Odyssey")

I'm surprised this album is still in print.While Putumayo still explores Latin American&Brazilian music,it's too bad it hasn't gone back to Native American music in the interim.Perhaps some time in the future.I hope they go back to this genre;there's plenty to listen to!It's not just Carlos Nakai.

Putumayo compilations, I find, are usually a poor choice for exploring world music, and what's more, they aren't the best listening albums either. This compilation does a poor job of representing Native American music - the songs simply aren't that good, and most of them don't appeal to me at all. Often they are too much influenced by country music, or mellow pop, with a few shakers and drums thrown in for good measure. The cultures they show here are too far removed from their originals - the cultures are constantly changing, of course, but there isn't a single purely traditional track here, and the fusion is by and large not really the greatest. Perhaps this is to be expected of a Putumayo compilation.

To its credit, though, this album does a rare thing by showing native music from both continents. There is music from Mexico, the Amazon and the Andes as well as American and Canadian tribes, and there are a few excellent, salvagable tracks. The Latin American selections are the best, with Tortuga and Ni'bixi Dxi Zina both great songs from Mexico. The three Andean selections are sweet and charming as always, and Vale Do Javari, by Vermelho E. Branco (Brazil) is a powerful, beautiful piece about saving the indigenous tribes. In North America, Burning Sky present a quality fusion piece powered by cedarwood flute, guitars and percussion, while Bill Miller has a country/rock piece that is compelling enough, but bears little resemblence to traditional music. The rest of the songs are very disapointing, and not due to a lack of material. R. Carlos Nakai, the legendary Navajo flute player, is somehow absent from here, as is music of his level of quality.

I'm not sure if this album is worth it for those songs alone. There are better Native American albums, like the Rough Guide to Native American music, which restricts itself to the US mostly, but is more varied and authentic than this.