World Musics

African music permeates the many diverse cultures across the continent. The legacy that African musical traditions have passed to contemporary musicians is rich and varied. From the iconic djembe drum to the distinctive a cappella choir vocals, Africa's music embraces many instruments and rhythms. This program presents a selection of music from the countries of Africa that have impacted movements such as blues, jazz, rock, and rap.

Amapiano’ is more than a genre of music - it’s a culture, a style and a movement that is both innovative and disruptive in the way it’s transforming the industry.

Less known than Franco and Tabu Ley Rochereau, Bakolo Music International is nevertheless a landmark of Congolese rumba. Long headed by Wendo Kolosoy alias Papa Wendo, this respectable institution has known, for a few years, a well-deserved international success. Programmed in November 2019 at the Maison de la Musique de Nanterre, as part of the Africolor festival, the ensemble embodies, in an authentic way, one of the first pan-African musical registers.

Mande Music and Dance: Performed by Mandinka Musicians in Gambia in the late Twentieth Century. These films, including 18 separate events, made at the beginning of the Super 8 era with a silent camera and separate tape recorder, and at the end, with a sound-sync camera, feature performances by some of The Gambia's legendary Mandinka musicians.

This program by David Akombo explores the historical and sociological significance of music in Kenyan culture. It examines the social and cultural functions of Kenyan music and dance and explains that music has served as a tool for education among Kenya's indigenous peoples for millennia.

This classic documentary on the centuries-old music of the Andes demonstrates the importance or the region's musical heritage in preserving the cultural identity of the impoverished native peoples.The musical thread that runs through the Andes extends back past the ancient culture of the Incas, and it is strong enough to have successfully resisted both the Spanish conquest and the forces of modern Western culture. This musical journey travels from small towns and remote mountain villages to the capital city of Lima, showing how Peru's popular music connects even the most isolated people.

Two Peruvian musicians, Ebert and Jabier, have dedicated their lives to researching the ancient musical traditions of Peru. Ebert reproduces the old instruments, using natural materials. He also collects the music for the Peruvian Institute for Culture and teaches it to children so it will survive.

"The music of samba is even more powerful than the flag of Brazil." In fact, in Brazil you can listen to samba rhythms anywhere you go, from small cafes in poor areas, to the hype places in Copacabana beach, and always accompanied by Brazilian bodies dancing to its sound, making it even more phantasmagoric. Samba has influenced all the succeeding musical genres that have emerged in Brazil with Rio de Janeiro being its birth place.

Classical Indian music is the bridge that connects the present with the great civilizations of India's past. World Musicians crosses this bridge back to the 60's when, through the Beatles, Ravi Shankhar became a pop star, opening the door for the west to classical Indian music. We travel to the North, New Delhi and to the South, Chennai (ex Madras) and meet some of the most important musicians of India.

This documentary is a journey into the land of miracles, with the ancient celebration of Holi in the background, connected to the arrival of spring. A celebration full of colors, fire, elephants, Hindu ceremonies and lots of fun.

Over thousands of years, music has woven through India's rich culture. Though Indian music has changed and diversified, tradition remains strong. This program introduces the origins and cultural relevance of music in India. Indian Classical, Folk and Bollywood melodies and rhythms are discussed. Demonstrations of how to play widely used instruments - the bansuri, tanpura, sitar, tabla, and kinjira - will be of particular interest to music students.

From the temples to the recording studios of Kochi, Kerala, in South India, this film follows four musicians - a student and his master, a professional and a promoter - all uniquely devoted to the music that permeates all spheres of Indian life.

Filmed entirely in Bali - the famed Hindu island in the archipelago of Indonesia - this historical video shows the day-to-day life of the islanders, their folk songs, gamelan orchestras and dance dramas. The temple is the focal point of each village where the villagers gather for religious ceremonies as well as for music and dance. The film features stunning, rarely captured footage of two religious dance/dramas named Barong, and Ketchak, the legendary "monkey chant".

Balinese music is like Balinese life. It reflects community harmony, cooperation, and balance. This sensitive documentary is an American musician's unique portrait of Balinese life, art, and spirituality. Focusing on the concept of Taksu, or the spiritual power found in music, instruments, costumes, and dance, the film captures the vibrant rhythm that permeates all Balinese art and culture and suggests how the daily activities of the Balinese echo the tempo and interlocking harmonies of their music.

This is part of the 30-volume Video Anthology of Music and Dance of the World. Indonesia 1: Bali. 9-1: Gamelan - instrument ensemble: "Sekar jupun". 9-2: Pendet - devotional dance. 9-3: Baris - warrior's dance drill. 9-4: Legong keraton - court dance. 9-5: Kebyar trompong - seated dance with gong set. 9-6: Calonarang - dance-drama.

This is part of the 30-volume JVC Video Anthology of Music and Dance of the World. Indonesia 2: Bali - cont.: 10-1 Kecak: men's chorus. Java:10-2: Wayang - shadow puppet play. 10-3: Gamelan degung - small court ensemble.10-4: Tembang Sunda Cianjuran - song with instrument ensemble. 10-5: Pantun - narrative recitation with accompaniment: "Mundinglaya Dikusumah" ("The story of Mundinglaya"). 10-6: Tembang Sunda Cianjuran - song with instrument ensemble: "Papatet". 10-7: Tarawangsa [bowed lute] and kacapi slier [plucked zither]: "Kidung" 10-8: Celempungan - instrument and voice ensemble: "Tablo".

Whether it's the unique sounds of a Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi or Shinobue, or the pounding of traditional drums, Japanese music has evolved over centuries as an integral part of the nation's rich culture. Featuring Shakuhachi performer Adam Simmons, Koto performer Brandon Lee and Japanese drummer Toshi Sakamoto, this video explores the history of Japanese music, its structures and a range of traditional instruments.

Transcending time and space for hundred and thousands of years, Gagaku, the traditional music of the Japanese Imperial Court, represents the spirit of an ancient time. Gagaku was introduced from its continental birthplace to Japan between the 5th to the 9th century, becoming fused with ancient Japanese music and adopted in the Nara and Heian periods as the traditional music of the Japanese Imperial Court, a tradition which continues to the present. Gagaku is the oldest orchestral music in the world.

A journey through through a country which has become the focus on international attention: Iran, a place where music is also a political issue.

Travelling to the Mecca of Arabic music. Amid a decadent cosmopolitan air, pop stars who reach stardom overnight, jazz and contemporary music which walk on Islam's tightrope, Leonidas Antonopoulos meets with artists who struggle to express themselves under the bizarre conditions of contemporary confusion. He reports on what is left of the great Arab voices of the past, like Oum Kalsoum and Hafez, he attends religious celebrations and discovers young musicians who are creating their own musical scene.