Music Monday: Return to Innocence

"That's not the beginning of the end,
That's the return to yourself--
The return to innocence."


Running alone on the canal yesterday I began thinking about all the Native American education I've been given, shared and accepted: making bark longhouses in fifth grade, reading Iroquois myths in seventh grade, teaching the Seven Nations as a student teacher, sharing Gary Snyder's poetry to an eight grade class... it's hard to escape the influence of the indigenous people on my Upstate New York community (many of the towns names are clearly of a Native origin), and interestingly, something I find myself coming back to when listening to crow calls...

I suppose it may seem unfair for me to present myself as anything but a "culture vulture," though I (as a bastard of sorts) unfortunately feel little "allegiance" or identification with any single part of my (clearly) European heritage, I have long had an appreciation of what was in the nineties (anyone remember the Gregorian chant frenzy?) termed "world music."

I have a number collections of CDs (and tapes!) featuring a variety of Native American Chants from many varied tribes, but I thought I'd select a sort of mainstream touchstone as my Music Monday selection, Enigma's "Return to Innocence," which includes a (albeit one taken without permission) sample "chant." Some other world music artists I've found to be particularly accessible are Ofra Haza and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, both good choices for first time world music listening, though from countries other than my own.

In the end, hopefully these artists serve as gateway listening experience to the deeper, richer experience of seeking out and listening to truer representations of indigenous music...

Embrassez votre été invincible!