music of the world d e f

50 rhythms of the world
is the title of the article in songlines magazine july/august 2006 edition
so far have transcribed 14 of those styles of music in this blog
and have got a step further for 2 of them so far in further investigation
afro-beat in all it's blaze and glory courtesy of a fela kuti concert dvd
choro in a fascinating documentary on dvd from rio de janeiro about that genre
putting the pressure on myself now to learn and discover more with 3 more styles

didgeri-beat (australia)

based on original aboriginal clapstick beating patterns of arnhem land's yolngu people
which can vary from a slow 20-30 beats per minute to a very rapid 240bpm
the term didgeri-beat has been used to describe the fusion of these ancient dance rhythms with contemporary indigenous music
accompanied by the circular breathing modulations of the yadaki (didgeridoo)
the pulsating tempo has been successfully combined within reggae, rock, country and electronic genres
to form the basis of most modern aboriginal music

songlines recommends tribal voice by yothu yindi
esne notes either a dirth of choice or large ignorance but cannot come up with many other examples

forro (brazil)

this jittery jig-like 2/4 rhythm was ostensibly born in barn dances
thrown by english railway companies in north-east brazil
brazilianised with a soft portuguese 'i' and 'r' these 'for alls'
as they were christened by the english became 'fa-haws' - spelt forros
today the rhythm is brazil's favourite dance after samba

songlines recommends serie retratos by luiz gonzaga
esne notes this style is not very well known outside brazil

freklekh (usa)

if you have ever been to a jewish wedding or seen a film of one
then you'll recognise a freklekh (also spelt freilach)
when dancers with arms entwined form a ring or a line
and do exaggerated stomps on every down beat
freklekh is yiddish for 'merry' or 'happy' and the dance has a fast 4/4 beat
it's one of the exuberant staples of klezmer music

songlines recommends rhythms and jews by the klezmatics
esne notes this is one i need to track down based on the songlines rave about this album

a brief yet concise posting on 3 more rhythms of the world
more work to do with 15 of the 17 styles covered to be further investigated
oh what a chore
...not