Ancient Civilizations Of Southern Africa CD

A collection culled from a series of previous releases of African music on ARC, Ancient Civilizations of Southern Africa takes a stab at covering the vast cultural ground of the lower half of the continent, involving the multiple groups within the San, the Qwi, the Tsotho, and the Nguni peoples. While this seems a profitable venture for all, there's a catch. The pieces aren't grouped by peoples, by instrument, or by theme. They're simply put together. As a result, the album jumps from mbaqanga to a Venda horn piece to Zulu percussion to a bush song, and back to choral music. As such, it can be a bit schizophrenic. Nonetheless, the music quality is good, and the recording quality is quite good for relatively authentic African recordings. The various albums that went into the creation of this one may be more satisfying on their own, but this still makes a decent starting point for further exploration. ~ Adam Greenberg

The follow-up to the previous Ancient Civilizations of Southern Africa, which included music from the Xhosa, the Zulu, the Venda, the Bushmen, and more, Volume 2 narrows the focus to the Venda alone. The core of the music is in the collective vocals of the group, with one or two singers starting out, and the rest of the group joining in for a partial climax. As the music continues, the massive war drum is incorporated for rhythm and sheer power. On top of this are layers of women's ululations and ankle shakers here and there. The songs cover a range of traditional topics, largely relating to the pride of the warrior traditions, but also including the somewhat better known Domba -- a snake dance related to an old practice of human sacrifice to a mythical python in Lake Fundudzi. In many ways, this album will not provide much beyond the already extant albums of traditional South African forms. The focus on a single tribal group is nice, but the music perhaps doesn't surpass other available items. For those curious about the Venda though, the album will pay well, with relatively good liner notes and high quality recordings of a pair of quite able music revitalization groups from the area. ~ Adam Greenberg