Music from Barotseland: Recordings in Zambia's Western Province

This is a companion piece to the four-CD Luangwa to Livingstone, reviewed in #157. Zambia's Western Province is traditionally known as Barotseland – albeit it is not recognised by the central government. This is another four-CD box set with a variety of field recordings all made by Michael Baird in 2016 and 2018. The first disc is titled Siyemboka Music – siyemboka is the national music of Barotseland that is nearly always performed with a silimba (xylophone) and drums. Seven village ensembles are represented and some of them utilise a huge instrument of up to five metres in length, played by four or five men. Siyemboka is described as ‘happiness music for any occasion’ and the accompanying circular shuffle dance allows for freedom of expression.

The next disc is The Barotse Guitar. Derived from the tuning and harmonics of the traditional kangombio (thumb piano) these small ensembles mostly comprise an acoustic guitar, metallic percussion, and a vocal supported by a falsetto harmony. The third CD, Kangombio Silimba Jazz, is a mixture of xylophone, kangombio and a four-man jazz band playing self-made guitars backed by bottle-top percussion. Perhaps the highlight of the entire box is the 15-note silimba playing of 25-yearold Pelekelo Mufalo. Michael Baird's sleeve notes eloquently describe how the performances commence with a traditional melody and then are deconstructed in a style reminiscent of Thelonious Monk before returning to the original melody.

The final CD is titled Drums, Voices, Sticks. A series of Cultural Group recordings of primarily drumming and vocal call-and-response chants, aided by friction sticks and multiple whistles. This is another great package for anyone interested in the music traditions of Zambia. As with most releases on this label the sleeve notes are comprehensive.