Traditional Songs and Dances From Africa

One of four or five albums from the (British) Pan-African dance ensemble Adzido on ARC records with this title. The album is an admirable attempt to represent as many cultures as possible before the album is through. There are noteworthy re-creations of works from the Jambadon of Senegal, the Ga of Ghana, and a Zambian semi-urban form. Also, South African war dances, Ethiopian love songs, and a balofon piece from Burkina Faso are present. In general, if one is looking for a compilation of African styles, the search might not take too long. In reality, there are probably better performers of each of the respective styles necessary here on other albums. The notable thing here is the ability for the listener to take in all of the different styles of music, but performed by the same musicians, so as to relieve any bias formed by different musicians each bringing their own eccentricities into the mix. The thing that people should in general be looking for from a dance ensemble, however, is the combination of music and dance. Without the accompanying dances, this troupe tends to lose some of their glamour along the way. ~ Adam Greenberg