South Pacific: Island Music

From 1981, a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks from the Pacific Islands. The best are those that feature percussion. The rhythms are fascinating. Most everything is too short for my taste, and the sound quality is typical for field recordings, but it’s all so good.

*1. Fast, serious drumming.
*2. Women chanting, hollow percussion.
3. Fast call/response with women & children.
*4. Gospel chanting. Great blend of voices. Very cool.
5. Mostly slow, melodic male chanting.
*6. Sweet, delicate love song. Really pretty w/warm harmony.
7. Quiet water sounds, hand beating wooden boat, chanting.
*8. Delicate nose flute instrumental.
9. Stately chant w/perc & mixed chorus. Picks up towards end.
*10. Drums, claps, chanting. Fast & intricate.
*11. Starts midtempo, gets fast. Drumming, chanting. Driving.
12. Lively blend of voices, percussion. Fast call/response.
*13. Homemade bamboo guns ignited by kerosene. That’s it.
*14. Sweet, quirkly blend of panpipes playing at counterpoint.
15. Panpipes & shakers. Mid/uptempo.
*16. Crickets, clapping, panpipes. A cool nighttime recording.
17. Droning male chorus, shakers.
18. Women at work, high, whining chorus, shells.
*19. Female voices in harmony. Shakers. Midtempo.
20. Group chorus, midtempo. Gets fast at end. Claps.
21. Clapping. Chorus. Gets crazy-fast & busy.
22. Droning, relaxed male vocal.
*23. Drums, chorus. Really picks up, great drum/clapping solo.
24. A conche shell blowing curfew.
25. Delicate old lady voice. Sweet & kinda lazy.
26. Spoken word, drum. Then midtempo call/response.
*27. Nicely swaying choral track w/nice harmonies.