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Archiving Filipino American Music in
Los Angeles (AFAMILA)
A UCLA in LA funded partnership with Kayamanan
Ng Lahi and the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive
Festival & Celebration: May
8, 2004
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Free Food! Live Performances - Traditional, folk, rock, pop,
hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word. Premiere film screening
of highlights from Fil Am performances in Southern California,
2003-2004. Bands slated to perform include INVID,
The Pakaraguian Kulintang
Ensemble, and others.. Open listening/viewing of Fil Am
cultural recordings in the Archive! Please join us in celebrating
nearly 10 months of documenting Los Angeles area Filipino
American music and expressive culture for future generations
of researchers and community members. This event is free and
open to the public.
Saturday, May 8, 2004 - 1:00pm - 7:00pm, UCLA Ethnomusicology
Courtyard, Schoenberg Music Building. For more information
contact us at archive@arts.ucla.edu (310) 825-1695. More information
about AFAMILA is available here.
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"The Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble"
performing at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History
- Los Angeles, CA October 9, 2003.
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Click
here to view a Quicktime collage of out-takes from our AFAMILA
documentation efforts.
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Australian Folk Star Performs
in Archive - World-renowned Australian singer/songwriter
John Williamson
visited the Archive on the evening of Wednesday, February
11, 2004. Williamson, who has sold over two million albums
in Australia alone, performed songs from his extensive repertoire
for an intimate Archive performance. Between songs Williamson
spoke about his role in shaping the identity of a unique Australian
folk music and the nature of his socially and environmentally
progressive lyrics. Over the span of his career, Williamson
has released 31 albums, 9 videos, two DVDs, 2 books of lyrics
and has collected 20 Golden Guitars at the Australian Country
Music Awards. During his visit, Williamson donated one of
his books to the Archive, True Blue Two: More Stories and
Songs of Australia.
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Australian Folkie Performing at the
Ethnomusicology Archive
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Bell Yung DVD Hour - On Monday,
March 3, 2004, Dr.
Bell Yung presented his DVD, "A Blind Singer's
Story: Fifty Years of Life and Work in Hong Kong,"
As described by the publisher, the Hong
Kong Museum of History, this "DVD set is jointly
produced by the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Department
of Music of the University of Hong Kong for the research
project on Nanyin music. It is also a tribute to Mr. Dou
Wun (1910-1979), a legendary Nanyin singer. In his own words
and his captivating voice, Mr. Dou shared his life and his
five decades of singing career in Hong Kong. Illustrated
with historical photographs and film clips of the old Hong
Kong, the DVD set is a highly recommended collection item
for lovers of Nanyin music and Hong Kong history."
A Professor of Music at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr.
Yung is director of the Asian Studies Program at the University
of Pittsburgh and holds a concurrent appointment as Kwan
Fong Chair in Chinese Music at the University of Hong Kong.
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Archive Recording Reviews
- In this installment of the EAR, a review by UCLA
Ethnomusicology graduate student Meagan Rancier is
provided below. If you are interested in reviewing
Archive recordings for the EAR please contact us for
more information.
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Various Artists - Latcho Drom (1993):
Archive Call Number ARCD 2023
The motion picture soundtrack Latcho Drom
gathers together all of the music from the
film of the same name (available in the UCLA
Media Library, VC15234) and vibrantly displays
the rich musical legacy of the Roma (Gypsies)
from their historical roots in India, through
the Near East regions and eastern Europe,
and finally ending in Spain. The purpose behind
this film and its music is not so much ethnographic
or documentary as it is illustrative of the
fascinating history and common struggles shared
by Roma peoples from all areas of the world.
The scenes from the film are clearly choreographed,
and often contain a twinge of exoticisim;
but despite whatever "authenticity"
may be lacking from the film, the performances
on the CD are well-executed and diverse, offering
a very interesting and enjoyable listening
experience.
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The songs on the CD range from social
dance songs, to laments, to the street calls of a
young girl selling flowers on the street. Many of
the song texts ponder the plight of the Roma people,
who are often forced to move from place to place and
endure insult and injustice from authorities and more
fortunate members of society. Child performers also
appear prominently in both the film and the CD; for
example, the first track features a young boy expertly
singing a traveling song while accompanying himself
on wooden clappers.
One of the most interesting aspects
of the CD is the diversity of cultural areas and musical
styles that are practiced by Roma from various geographical
locations, woven together into a continuous thread
of ethnic heritage that spans thousands of years and
as many miles. The listener experiences a distinct
sense of moving through space as the musical selections
progress, from the distinctive drum rhythms of India
(Track 2, "Oh kesario hazari gul ro phool")
to the unique fiddle techniques of Hungary (Track
11, "Cigány himnusz") to Spanish
flamenco (Track 16, "Ramona") and"gypsy
swing" from Western Europe (Tack 15, "Tchavolo
swing"). Reviewed by Megan Rancier
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