Cassana 🍻

This is Sand, Roots & Blossom by Rihab Azar, a female oud player from Syria.
Fun fact: a Syrian female oud player was the subject of Turkish novelist Fatma Aliye Hanın's 1898 novel Udi, which is based on the true story of Bedia from Aleppo who uses her oud as a means of resistance against patriarchy and the hardships of life. After her father's death and divorcing from her unfaithful husband, her 
oud becomes her “most loyal friend.
#Music #Ethnomusicology #WorldMusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzO1bz1x7UA

I want to tackle this somewhat, because it annoys the hell out of me. So I've been hearing white supremacists have started being smug about Aurignacian peoples in now southern Germany developing protocuneiform around 43-34ka; the paper for that discovery is here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2520385123 #History #Anthropology (1/12)

OK, I admit it. I couldn't resist starting my evolutionary hominin skull collection for personal reference. I decided to do so with these 2 well-known ones.
Miguelón: pre-Neanderthal ca 430ka, found at Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca, Spain, in 1992/93. This is the most complete pre-modern skull.
Dinkinesh AKA Lucy: Australopithecus Afarensis ca 3.2ma, found at Hadar, Ethiopia, in 1974. Her Amharic name means "you are wonderful", and I couldn't agree more! #Prehistory #Anthropology #Replica

African #Philosophy vs Western philosophy; a video essay by Godesulloh. This was my early-morning listen, because I got curious which supposed intrinsic stereotypes of such overgeneralised unified categorisation were being used to contrast and compare. Instead I got a wonderful and thoughtful exploration, including about the metaphysics of difference and historical contingencies, which is highly relevant to the topic. He brings up some really great points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJj8LgZM6eE

“Code words" in a 1932 instrument catalogue. Nothing sneaky about that though. Those were basically QR codes telegraph-style. I was perusing it to find out more about my banjo. I don't have an exact year for it, but it's 86+ years old; given the workshop was bombed in 1940. Anyway, I found it, mentioning: "specifically designed for stage work; code word WITNESS, price £8 10/, not including the resonator and case I also have. For fun, at the time that was equivalent to approx. 528kg of bread.

#Thai psychedelic techno? I didn't even know that existed until very recently, nor that I would actually enjoy it as much as I did. This is The Hymmapan Electron, who are apparently a duo that is redefining Thai traditional instruments with modern electronic sounds. The whole performance is 53 minutes long, but absolutely worth it.
#Music #Ethnomusicology #WorldMusic #Thailand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrwf5fj4zNI

I just recorded this little mashup on jeli ngoni; a small fretless West African lute; in this form mainly played by Bamana jeliw (griots) and going back to the 14th century. It’s currently tuned (top to bottom): E3 G4 G3 C4 A4; the Low G and C strings are the main strings. The others are sometimes described as kora strings or drones. For fun, let's call this ”tile tɛ yen n'a tɛ yen / Jarabi" (the sun isn't there if he/she/it isn't there / passion; sweetheart). #Instrument #WorldMusic

This is Nomfusi with Iqaqa; because it's Xhosa, q is an alveolar click. The song is a nice blend of various genres. It's a song about a relationship with lyrics in English and Xhosa, and the description helpfully explains the recurring phrase:
"The Xhosa idiom “Iqaqa aliziva kunuka” means “the skunk does not smell itself” which refers to the fact that people often are unable to recognize their own faults."
#Music #Ethnomusicology #WorldMusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGS50zNG95U