Brolga (148k bytes), Love Song (156k bytes)
Artist:
Compilation
Title:
Bushfire - Traditional Aboriginal Music
Genre:
Traditional Didjeridu
Musicians:
| Musician | Instruments |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Mullane | Songman, sticks |
| Christopher Fry | Didjeridoo |
| Arthur Toby | Songman, didjeridoo & sticks on Open Plain, Initiation, Brolga |
| Jimmy Mullane | Songman, didjeridu & sticks |
| Collier Bangmorra | Songman, sticks |
| Jimmy Mullane | songman, sticks on Lilga, Mosquito, Mosquito, Initiation Song, Chinaman, Fishing Song |
| Arthur Toby | Songman, sticks |
| Rastus Willinji | Didjeridoo |
| Lorrie Utemorrah | singer on Fast Walk , Lightning, Dugout Canoe, Wounded Warrior, Bushwoman, Breast Mountains, Daduru, Body Painting, Baby, Whirlpool, Cyclone Tracy, Stranger |
| Daisy Utemorra | singer |
| Amy Peters | singer |
| Pudja Barunga | singer |
| Daisy Martin | singer |
| Dusty Legune | Songman, sticks on Love Song, Mosquito, Buffalo, Bushfire, Initiation Song, Saltwater, Mook Mook, Darwin Cyclone |
| Campbell Allenbar | Didjeridoo |
| Dusty Legune | Songman, sticks on Bushfire, Mook Mook, Love Song |
| Arthur Toby | Songman, sticks |
| Nelson Barunga | Didjeridoo |
| Arthur Toby | songman, sticks on Brolga, Mud Lark, Buffalo, Black Cockatoo |
Format:
CD and cassette, Playing time 49:47 minutes
Track List:
Publisher No.:
(1991) Arc Music - EUCD 1224
, Arc Music America, P.O. Box 2453, Clearwater, FL 34617
Comments:
Field recordings at Mowanjum in the Australian Kimberleys. Wongga is dance music performed by the men of the tribe, although women are sometimes present and partake in certain dances. It involves the didjeridu, clap sticks and singing by one or more songmen who set the rhythm. The dance is unique, energetic and very exciting. On ceremonial occasions, the dancers paint their bodies with traditional patterns and perform by an open fire. Djunba style involves both men and women singing in harmony, with the men playing clap sticks and women hand clapping. There is no didjeridu. The songs are usually initiated by the leading songman, with the others joining in a short time later. The harmonies are very subtle and the music has a unique rhythm.
Reviewer: Liner Notes
Bushfire is a fine collection of Wonga and Djunba songs recorded by musicians in the Kimberleys. This field recording was made at Mowanjum, an Aboriginal community about 10 km from Derby in the West Kimberleys. The recorded songs are 'public' songs.
Reviewer: Sean Borman
An excellent tape recording from the North of Australia, featuring both traditional and modern Aboriginal music all sung in Aboriginal languages. Initiation songs, animal songs, and even songs about cyclone Tracy are to be found on this recording.
Reviewer: The Australian Cultural Experience
This is another excellent quality bush recording, of musicians of the Mowanjum Community in the West Kimberly region of Australia. There are 24 Wongga songs, some with very interesting didjeridu playing. The are also 12 Djunba songs which have only singers and clap sticks. The Djunba singers include Lorrie and Daisy Utemorrah who are also recorded on 'Authentic Aboriginal Music - Music from the Wandjina People'. Since songmen are reputed to travel widely, I'm not at all clear which community the Utemorrahs are from!
From the point of view of a didjeridu player, the Bushfire recording is more stylistically interesting than the Wandjina album. The recording also has the didjeridu close-mic'ed as can be seen in a photo on the liner booklet, so the more subtle variations are readily heard. In all there are six different didj players.
The songmen also show variety, with some interjecting "hey" or "oh" or "ma...wheeh", others alternating between low voicings and very strong voicings of the same "phrase".
Since I prefer the Wongga to the Djunba style of song, and because of the excellent didjeridu playing and recording technique, I prefer this recording versus the Wandjina recording. However they each have something good to offer, especially Lorrie Utemorrah's strong song leading.
Reviewer: John Morfit