JonMark Photography

Posts Tagged ‘song’

Somali people have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Somali songs are usually the product of collaboration between lyricists (midho), songwriters (laxan), and singers (Codka or “voice”). Bands such as Waaberi and Horseed have gained a small following outside of the country. Others, such as Ahmed Cali Cigal and Maryam Mursal, have fused traditional Somali music with rock and roll, bossa nova, jazz, and other modern influences.

However, the current state of Somali Music although hampered by a non existent uncooperative government has managed to flourish fantastically with an array of talented new singers such as Aar Maanta and Farhia Fiska coming to the stage. In addition, legends such as Nimco Yasin and Hassan Aden Samatar are still keeping us entertained. However, there are two issues that need to be addressed in Somali Music and it needs to improved. I hope to discuss these issues in this article whilst providing plausible remedies.

Hiroshima created its distinct style thirty years ago by mixing the traditional Japanese instruments with American jazz and Latin percussion instruments. Basking today in a record three million album sales, the ensemble stands alone. Last week they returned to Washington, DC, the city where their fusion first reverberated beyond the West Coast, and celebrated at the Birchmere with music from their latest album, “Legacy,” a collection of eleven hits from their first decade that set a nostalgic atmosphere.

The album begins with the elusive strains of the bamboo shakuhachi in the Grammy-nominated “Winds of Change” composed by Dan Kuramoto, the ensemble’s composer, arranger and multiple instrumentalist. The closing number, “Thousand Cranes,” is a paean to nature through June Kuramoto’s koto, the instrument that breathed life into the concept.