Ghana's Nana Danso Abiam has set about on an interesting cultural project: create African "classical" music. What is involved: well, for starters, establishing standardized tunings for folk instruments, establishing a large ensemble (approximately 30 members),and then creating an orchestrated repertoire, based largely on folk tunes, the last a standard strategy of Western composers (Dvorak's "Slavonic Dances" et al.).

The result: striking music that lies somewhere between traditional Ghanaian folk music and Western classical music. Do not be mislead: this is not "worldbeat" and this music will undoubtedly not appeal to everyone. Taken on its own terms, though, it is quite appealing.




From: http://tinyurl.com/62xouq3 (by "m_noland") Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.