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The Arthur S. Alberts Collection: More Tribal, Folk, and Café Music of West Africa

Various Artists
The Arthur S. Alberts Collection: More Tribal, Folk, and Café Music of West Africa

A musical exploration of West Africa from the late 1940s, this Endangered Music Project compilation is comprised of 19 songs culled from an enormous archive by recordist Arthur S. Alberts. During a six-month, 4,000-mile jeep tour of West Africa in 1949, Alberts recorded a broad range of musics using state-of-the-art equipment (for the time). The album features popular music found in clubs and cafés, sacred songs, work songs, and school children’s chants. This anthology, with its rich and varied styles of singing, percussion, hand-claps and other instruments, highlights the depth and diversity of West African music. The Arthur S. Alberts Collection: More Tribal, Folk, and Café Music of West Africa was issued in 1998 as part of the Endangered Music Project, a series curated by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart featuring material from the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center (now part of the Mickey Hart Collection made available by Smithsonian Folkways).

Visit mickeyhart.net for additional photos and videos from this album

Track Listing

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101
Malinke Guitars and Kora n/a 04:05
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102
Mano: A Capella n/a 02:01
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103
Mano: A Capella n/a 02:20
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104
Igbo: Lamellaphones, Bottle & Knife, Drum, Ngedegwu n/a 04:10
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105
Mano: Hammers and Chisels n/a 03:17
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106
Mano: Hammers and Chisels n/a 02:11
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107
Ashanti: Percussion Sticks, Guitar n/a 03:36
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108
Baule: Cylindrical & Frame Drums, Metal Gong n/a 04:02
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109
Fanti: Frame Drum n/a 04:32
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110
Liberian: All for You Euphene Cooper 02:56
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111
Malinke: Bala, Percussion n/a 04:16
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112
Loma: Harp n/a 03:47
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113
Ashanti: Atumpan n/a 01:02
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114
Bindendela: Water Drums n/a 01:12
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115
Bindendela: Water Drums n/a 01:34
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116
Bindendela: Water Drums n/a 01:25
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117
Kinshasa: Clarinet, Concertina, Guitar, Frame Drum, Bottle & Nail n/a 02:57
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118
Bodo-dioulasso: Balas, Drums Lizahbet 03:36
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119
Bodo-dioulasso: Balas n/a 02:18