Polyrhythm is just a $13.95 word for playing two (or more) rhythms at the same time, as the sound clips in Wikipedia make clear. Lorenzo Candeleria and Daniel Kingman, authors of our textbook, say African music is marked by "the dominance of rhythm, manifested in ... the sense of an inexorably steady pulse governing the music [at the same time as] a high degree of rhythmic complexity and diversity" (18) Listen for it in the clips we play in class, including the "Music in Praise of a Yoruba Chief" discussed in the textbook as well as selections by West African drummer Baba Olatunje and an African American church congregation in the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia singing "Sheep, Sheep, Don't You Know the Road." Candeleria and Kingman speak of the same "steady pulse governing the music" as in the instrumental piece, with "the basic 'drumbeat' is present in the foot tapping that is steadily followed by a clap of the hands ... on what is called the offbeat (or backbeat)." They also note "call-and-response singing" in church. "In call-and-response we typically hear a lead vocalist 'call out' a statement, or even a question, that is followed by a 'response' from a group of participating singers" (10). We will hear both again and again.
On YouTube today we'll watch several extended video clips. As we do, listen carefully for the rhythms. Do you hear what Candeleria and Kingman hear? Polyrhythms or other complex patterns? Any call-and-response?
First we'll watch schoolchildren in Tanzania learning a variety of traditional dances at secondary schools funded by the WildiZe Foundation.
African influence isn't limited to the United States. Listen for polyrhythmic music in this performance of a dance called the Cutumba by Ballet Folklórico Cutumba de Santiago, Cuba. And a steel drum band from Trinidad and Tobago playing in London's Trafalgar Square.
We hear it in reggae as well. We'll hear a couple of sound clips from a Chicago roots reggae band called Waterhouse. And we'll watch a performance by Bob Marley of his song "Exodus" live In Dortmund, Germany.
Finally, we'll see videos of Michael Franti and Spearhead singing "Hole In The Bucket"(1994) and "Hello Bonjour (2007). It was shot on location in Africa, so in a sense the music has come full circle, from Africa to the U.S. and back to Afruca -- and the rest of the world.
1 comment:
dear doc,
hey hey! it's ty wilcox from a couple of years ago. i took eng 111, mass comm and newswriting from you and loved all three classes. just thought i would check your faculty page to see what you're up to; figured hogfiddle would be a better blog to catch up on. how is everything?
as for me, i graduated SCI in may of 06 and went on to the university of footb-- err, illinois, in champaign. studied poli sci and now find myself back in spfld, unemployed. am doing a little interviewing in st louis soon, but nothing is too certain these days. i think i'm a bit too late to really get on with the obama campaign, although i might make the trip to iowa to volunteer canvass for a few upcoming weekends.
what do you make of this race? i'm hoping america doesn't disappoint me again, but 2004 still stings. hopefully the debates will shift the polls a bit left, but an attractive NRA member with 20 months of exec experience...quite a bit to handle it turns out.
i did want to mention i read your illinois times piece on obama/sir galahad and loved it. glad to see there's some freelance time with the full teaching load. hope that's going well too. also got a good chuckle from the newspaperman quote on the fac page, great find.
well, i'll let you get back to business, but really look forward to hearing how you're doing. take care doc!
my best,
ty
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