First Word

Speaking in Tongues

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 1, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 1, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00004S9AY
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #99,814 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Indie Music > Folk > International Folk

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Speaking in Tongues combines four outstanding musicians from four different cultures with four native tongues. With superb musicianship and an infectious camaraderie, Speaking in Tongues creates music that is engaging and exhilarating. The collective sound of the group draws on so many sources that listeners from all walks of life can connect easily. When considering the individual voices, one is struck by the truly distictive quality of this music and the level of skill and musical maturity required to shape it into the coherent musical expression that it is.

The groups is "Master Drummer," multi-instumentalist, and composer Sowah Mensah from Ghana; Enrique Toussaint, the virtuoso bassist from Mexico City; Minnesota percussionist extraordinaire Marc Anderson; and Gao Hong from China, one of the world's foremost performers on the Chinese four-stringed lute, the pipa.

Product Description
Featuring special arrangements of music from the cultures of China, Ghana, Mexico, and new compositions written specifically for the group's unprecedented blend of Chinese pipa (lute), African and Middle Eastern percussion, and Latin bass, First Word is a display of just how positive the results of intercultural interaction and mutual respect can truly be.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timbres Speak of Places, Rhythms Speak of Individuals, January 31, 2001

By	Steve Taylor, Hollow Ear - See all my reviews

By "word" the four far-fetched players of Speaking in Tongues mean to speak in the struck chords of rhythm. Though all of them are natural improvisers, they are also fine rhythmatists superbly capable of keeping time. Master drummer of Ghana Sowah Mensah and pipa virtuoso Gao Hong from the People's Republic of China color much of this set with African and Far East tones. They are well balanced by the rhythm section of American Marc Anderson, long-time Steve Tibbetts collaborator, and jazz bassist Enrique Toussaint of Mexico.

Anderson patterns this elusive genreless session with his characteristically sophisticated, earthy percussion touch and is matched by the organic playing of Toussaint who similarly avoids category and concept. The group has focused foremost on the endlessly variable world of hand drum cycles and instrument texture juxtapositions. Of the ten tracks, eight are originals with two representing arrangements of traditional Chinese folk tunes. The riskiest selection is the short Chinese Rap track that, without text translation, is difficult to discern as either the humorous oddity or an important commentary of some sort. Everywhere else however this is an impressively integrated team that tells melodic, instrumental, sometimes film-like dramas with consistently riveting technique. What exactly is "world music"? Here it is way beyond the idea of a novel whim.

"First Word" is topical, personal, restorative and dazzling in its webs of rolling percussion. The platform of peace through shared cultures comes shining through this excellent studio recording which is about as engaging as one could want. Instruments shimmer in space and gently slap echo across the soundstage before receding into a soft black backdrop. Its production taken together with its international-caliber musicianship, Speaking in Tongues realize a promise of cross-cultural interaction through a democracy of group improvising, where timbres speak of places, rhythms speak of individuals, and the joy of contributing to a unique entity is apparent by all.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'First Word' is enchanting, April 7, 2000

By	John Brower (Shoreview, MN USA) - See all my reviews

Memorable melodies, percolating rhythms, and a pleasure in making music that is transferred to the listener highlight this very enjoyable debut from Speaking In Tongues. Gao Hong's pipa (a Chinese lute) floats with delicacy and energy atop the interplay of percussionists Marc Anderson and Sowah Mensah and the expressive bass playing of Enrique Toussaint. The players draw upon their own cultural traditions in some tunes, as well as the opportunity to make unique music together in others. The variety of instruments, styles, and moods keeps drawing the listener into their musical spell. Speaking In Tongues is a rare musical blend that offers new sounds and unimagined adventures.