Music from the Villages of Northeastern Nigeria

Recorded in the field by Paul Newman, Eric Davidson, and Lyn Davidson, Music from the Villages of Northeastern Nigeria explores the music of five distinct ethnic groups: the Bura, Ga’anda, Bolewa, Tangale, and Tera. Published as part of the Asch Mankind Series in 1971, the collection’s thirty-one tracks tour the variety of musical traditions practiced in a region of marked cultural and linguistic diversity. In his review of the record, Nigerian musicologist Aken Euba wrote that these tracks “provide a good cross-section of the music of five African ethnic groups and is, from this point of view, useful for the general student of African Culture.” Liner notes include ethnographic profiles of the five groups, a map of their geographical distribution, a diagram of their linguistic classification, photographs, and annotations of each track which include partial translations.

Sources:

Euba, Akin. 1973. “Record Review: Music from the Villages of Northeastern Nigeria.” Ethnomusicology 17(1):148–149.

Track Listing

101	Music of the Bura People: Bura Praise Singing Inuwa Kusar Mundi	09:55
102	Bura Dance Music Bura xylophone and drum group	03:18
103	Music of the Bura People: Bura Praise Singer (1) Bello Mundi	02:38
104	Music of the Bura People: Bura Praise Singer (2) Yanga Kwaya	02:13
105	Bura Dance Band Bura dance group, Marama	01:40
106	Bura Dance Band with Algaita Musicians from Kwajaffa recorded in Biu	01:21
201	Ga'anda Flute Band Flute ensemble, Ga'anda village	03:06
202	Ga'anda Xylophone Band Xylophone ensemble, Ga'anda village	02:30
203	Bolewa Horns Bolewa horn and drum group, Gadam	00:31
204	Bolewa Horns with Singing and Drums Bolewa horn and drum group, Gadam	01:44
205	Bolewa Dance - Jabalwa Bolewa dance group, Gadam	01:58
206	Bolewa Dance - Jakkutu Bolewa woman singing with chorus, Gadam	01:46
207	Bolewa Dance with Hausa Drumming Bolewa singers and drummers, Gadam	05:08
208	Bolewa Singing - Babunare Bolewa singers and drummers, Gadam	02:16
209	Tangale War Dance - Latang Music (1) Tangale dance group, Biliri	02:23
301	Tangale War Dance - Latang Music (2) Tangale dance group, Biliri	03:12
302	Tangale War Dance - Bid-Bid Music Tangale dance group, Biliri	02:08
303	Tangale Dance Sung by Women Tangale dance group, Biliri	03:54
304	Tangale Banjo Music Tangale musicians, Biliri	02:47
305	Tangale Praise Singing with One-String Fiddle Tangale praise singer, Biliri	02:02
306	Hausa Court Music Tangale musicians, Biliri	03:48
307	Tera Dance - Bonsuwe Tera dance group, Wuyo	04:41
308	Tera Dry Season Dance - Ngudi Tera dance group, Wuyo	02:42
401	Tera Funeral Dance - Gamto Tera dance group featuring a Jara female singer, Wuyo	02:07
402	Tera Xylophone Music Tera xylophone player, Wuyo	03:17
403	Tera Bonsuwe Sung with Two Xylophones Tera xylophone players accompanying women and children, Dera Habe	03:14
404	Tera Dance with Two Xylophones - Sapar Kwada Two Tera xylophone players, Deba Habe	02:34
405	Tera Walking Dance - Leo-Leo Tera dance group, Zambuk	01:55
406	Tera Dance - Gwarde Tera dance group, Zambuk	02:46
407	Fulani Garaya Band Fulani Garaya group from Briyel, recorded in Wuyo	03:17
408	Tera Dance - Bayamina Tera dance group, Wuyo	04:41