Songs of the African Coast: Cafe Music of Liberia

Arthur Alberts

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2007)
• Original Release Date: August 14, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yarngo Music
• ASIN: B000S1MINI
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,829 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Songs of the African Coast is an exciting new CD of music recorded in the late 1940s by Arthur S. Alberts, a noted ethnomusicologist. Music on the CD, much of which has never before been released, includes styles ranging from jazz, blues and calypso and provides a unique and exciting perspective on Liberian music and the currents between American and African art. This music has been featured by Martin Scorsese (The Blues documentary series), Mickey Hart, Joan Baez and other noted artists. This original production also includes never before releases photos of the artists on the CD: Howard Hayes, Malinda Parker and the Greenwood Singers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating archival recordings from Liberia's golden age, October 2, 2007

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

A fascinating set of late 1940s recordings, documenting the "cafe music" of coastal Liberia, originally recorded by ethnographer Arthur S. Alberts and released on 10" records in the 1950s. This disc reprises most of the songs from those old discs, along with six previously unreleased tracks that amplify the other material. The songs are sung mostly in English, pidgin English, and some local slang, so on the whole, the meaning of the lyrics is readily apparent. Most songs are comedic takes on romantic or ribald themes, a few are topical (for which the reprinted old liner notes come in handy...) and all bear the obvious stamp of a relaxed nightclub/cabaret culture. The similarities between these recordings and classic calypso are quite striking, both musically and in the lyrical form, and like old-school calypso, this probably may not appeal to the average world music fan -- it's far less about melodies and rhythm than about wordplay and story-related entertainment. Still, students of African cultural history will find this collection fascinating, as will those of us who just like the unique sonic qualities of things that are just plain old... It's an echo of a time and place that are long gone, but remain enchanting nonetheless. (DJ Joe Sixpack)