ARTIST ... Origin
Title  Duration
(Album) [Label]

GRUPO CINCO SIGLOS ....Spain
La seste estampie real 3'23
(Dansse Real) [Fonoruz]
Early music played on the lute, flute, violin with percussion, this piece may be early XIV Century and may even be as old as VIII Century, possibly from Northern France.

Stephan MICUS ... Germany
To The Evening Child 9'26
(To The Evening Child) [ECM]

Olof JÖNSSON ....Sweden
(a) 2 Polska 1'35
(b) Visa 0'50
(c) Jönsson interviewed by Lars Madsén 1'46
(d) Brudmarsch 1'00
(Härjedalspipan) [Drone]
A disc reviving flute music from Härjedalen in Sweden. Although Jönsson is long-gone, these archival recordings of him as the last custodian of this Härjedalen flute are fascinating.

HOWLIN' WIND ....Australia
Dusk 4'23
(Sunrise) [Sony]

Choying DROLMA & Steve TIBBETTS .... Tibet / USA
(a) Kangyi Tengi 6'25
(b) Shengshik Pema Junguey 5'23
(Chö) [Ryko]
A combination that works very well indeed.

On a tangent, I hope you are equally disturbed by the 18 year jail sentence given to ethnomusicologist Ngawang Choepel, arrested by the Chinese in Tibet while trying to document traditional music on video. This adds new and unexpected meaning to the word "espionage". The Chinese have made their point, and I hope that the US government will lobby at a high-level to secure his release.

Thiksé MONKS ....Ladakh
Morning ritual 6'50
(Musique du toit du monde) [Playasound]
3 meter trumpets, percussion and chanting, accompanied by salty rancid yak-butter tea and bread, all contribute to this dawn ritual.

BABENZÉLÉ PYGMIES .... Central Africa
(a) Wedding song 3'41
(b) Bendiction on a settlement 6'00
(Bayaka) [Ellipsis Arts]
Included in this lavish book is a CD of these recordings by Louis Sarno, re-worked by Bernie Krause. I believe that Sarno is still married to a pygmy woman.

DEAD CAN DANCE .... Australia / Ireland
Sambatiki 7'30
(1996 Dead Can Dance Concert Tour Program) [unavailable]
This is the single item that was included on the disc in the back of their beautifully presented concert program.

Lisa GERRARD ....Australia
Glorafin 4'46
(The Mirror Pool) [4AD]
Look what's coming up on February 16.

Annbjørg LIEN ....Sweden
(a) Villvinter 2'52
(b) Fønix 4'06
(Prisme) [Grappa]
Lien plays the Hardanger fiddle.

VÄRTTINÄ ....Finland
(a) Tuulilta Tuleva 3'20
(b) Meaten Kosijat 3'39
(Kokko) [Nonesuch]
I confess:- I liked their previous album Aitara better. It was more "in-your-face", BUT if you are still as big a fan as I, then note in your diary that Värttinä will be playing in Melbourne at the beginning of June.

Olof JÖNSSON ....Sweden
Polska 0'40
(Härjedalspipan) [Drone]
By request, a repeat of this item above.