The Scoville Series: Part 3 A Basic World Music Library

By Jon Scoville

One of the singular joys of living on a newly Digital Planet is how much access we now have to a remarkable treasury of world music. Of course it wasn't always that way. I remember vividly seeing Indian musician Ravi Shankar for the first time in the late 50’s on the TV program Omnibus.  It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, growing up in a house filled with classical music (and my own little collection of Chuck Berry and Louis Armstrong). Now in a second or two you can download Ravi's daughter Anoushka on iTunes, and she's there ready to play for you 24/7.  My second world music revelation came around 10 years later when I heard a collection of Bantu musicians recorded by Hugh Tracy (Paul Tracey’s father) for Columbia Records. The life force and rhythmic invention woven into the music left an indelible mark on me as a musician.

Much like Picasso's epiphany with African art in 1907, Debussy’s encounter with Balinese gamelan in Paris in the 1880’s forever altered western music. In his footsteps, Bartok and Stravinsky sought resources for their compositions in folkloric music of Hungary and Russia, as did Copeland with American traditional music, Lou Harrison with Indonesian and Korean forms, and of course the Beatles' encounter with the music of India. Now everyone in every genre is being influenced by everyone else. It's a yeasty brew and it's growing. 

Similarly in the dance world the explorations initiated by Ruth St. Denis, Martha Graham, Katherine Dunham, and others are continuing. Many contemporary choreographers from Mark Morris, to Akram Khan to Grupo Corpo are availing themselves of the resources of world dance and world music, not in an attempt to recreate dances of those cultures but to ask the audience to bring fresh ears to new movement. 

With that in mind, I have assembled a basic survey of some of what's available, much of which has particular dance forms associated with the music. Along with this list of styles (which is in no particular order) are a few of the best-known practitioners. Amazon.com, www.sternsmusic.com, www.worldmusiccentral.com,  and www.calabashmusic.com are all good sources of various world music recordings. Most have downloadable samples. 

QUESTION:Jon, What would you recommend as the first instruments a new dance teacher should purchase?

Depending on the skills of the teacher or accompanist, a piano - which I like to think of as 88 tuned drums - is certainly the ideal, though an expensive one. Beyond that a bass drum, a pair of toms, perhaps a djembe (the African hourglass-shaped drum which initially is easier to get good sounds out of than a conga drum),  maybe a tongue drum (a small resonated box with the top having up to 12 tuned bars - to add the possibility of melody to the class),  and a small gong or symbol for accents. ]

– World Music – 

Argentine Tangos: Carlos Gardel to Astor Piazolla (Best of Carlos Gardel, Piazolla: Libertango)

Korean Pansori: exotic vocal story-telling style (Kim So-hee on Nonesuch record)

Japanese Gagaku: the world’s oldest orchestral music (Gagaku and Beyond)

Tuvan Throat Singing: multiphonic vocal music from Mongolia (Tuva, Among The Spirits: Sound, Music, and Nature in Sakha and Tuva by Various Artists, Orphans Lament Huun-Huur-Tu)

Tex-Mex: border music; (Best of Flaco Jimenez)

Ska: proto-reggae (lots of compilations) 

Indian Dhrupads: old-school classical singing from Northern India (the Dagar Brothers)

Klezmer: Eastern European and Lower East Side Jewish street music (Klezmatics, The Klezmorim)

Bulgarian Vocal Music: closely harmonized women’s choral music (Bulgarian Women’s Choir, Kitka)

Juju: Nigerian Dance Music (King Sunny Ade)

Pygmy Singing: interlocking singing styles of forest peoples (Pygmies of the Ituri Forest on Folkways AkaPygmy music on Ocora)

Brazilian Forro: music of the northeast of Brazil; the source of lambada (Brazil Roots Forro, Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers)

Samba: the Afro-Brazilian motor for carnaval (anything by Escolas de Padre Miguel, Beija Flor, and Vila Isabel etc.)

Samba Reggae: A blend of Jamaican reggae and samba from Bahia (Olodum, Ily Aiye)

Polynesian Choral Music: sweet rich harmonies from Tonga and Samoa (Nonesuch Explorer series: South Pacific Island Music)

Taksim: instrumental improvisations from the Middle East (many styles: anything by the Bachir Brothers, Art of Taksim by Goskel Kartel)

Tibetan Chanting: overtone singing from Buddhist monasteries (Tibetan Tantric Choir, Gyuto Monks) 

Salsa: the music of Cuba and Puerto Rico with a New York flavor (Celia Cruz, Reuben Blades, Willie Colon, Los Van Van, Larry Harlow)

Broadway Musicals: the tradition from Cole Porter to Stephen Sondheim

Delta Blues: the music of the Mississippi Delta (Robert Johnson, Son House, Charlie Patton)

Zydeco: Cajun accordion music from Louisiana (Dewey Balfa, Micheal Doucet, Buckwheat Zydeco, Wayne Toups, Putamayo compilation)

Celtic: Irish string band and vocal music (so many good ones from which to choose: Atlan Bothy Band, Boys of the Lough, the Chieftains, Moving Storm, Irish Jugs and Reels and numerous other compilations)

Flamenco: music of the Spanish gypsies (Legends of Gypsy Flamenco - compilation, Manitas de Plata, Ketama, Viva España - nueva flamenco)

Portuguese Fados: expressive songs of fate (Amalia Rodriguez, Cristina Branco, Madreus) 

Mbaqanga: South African township music (Ladyship Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, Motella Queens, Dollar Brand)

Capoeira music: music used to accompany Brazilian martial art (Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho)

Gamelan: metallophone orchestras from the islands of Bali and Java (Music of Morning of the World)

Armenian Duduk Music: meditational flute music from Armenia (Djivan Gasparyan)

Norwegian Medieval Folk Song: (Anges Buen Garnås)

Japanese Enka: folk/pop songs (Akiko Wada, Keiko Fuki)

Australian Aboriginal Digeridoo Music: (Digeridoo Dreaming, compilation)

Inuit Throat Singing: from the arctic circle (Jeux Vocaux des Inuit, Musique de Inuit)

About Jon

Jon Scoville is a composer, author, and musician. An Associate Professor/Lecturer at the

University of Utah, Professor Scoville teaches music resources for dance, rhythmic analysis,

percussion accompaniment, aesthetics, and choreography. He has toured internationally as a co-artistic director of Tandy Beal & Company, and is the author of Sound Designs. Professor Scoville is a prolific composer for dance, including scores for the faculty as well as

choreographers Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Laura Dean, and Sara Rudner, among

others. This series was first printed in the Utah Dance Educators Organizaton.