 Songs
of West Africa Songbook/CD
Here's
an exciting new resource for anyone interested in African music and culture.
Songs of West Africa by
Dan Gorlin contains over 80 traditional African folk songs and chants
in 6 languages along with extensive translations, annotations and performance
notes. It may be the most complete collection of African songs ever published.
The book highlights traditional songs from the Anlo-Ewe, Lobi, Ga-Adangbe,
Egu, Foh, and related ethnic groups from Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
There are sacred songs from Afa, Agzogbo, Gadzo, and Yewe traditions.
Also major secular and historical music including Agbekor, Kinka, Atsia,
Gahu, Takada, and more.
Many of the songs are simple to learn, and can be easily taught to grade
school students or adapted to other styles of music. But the scope of
this book goes far beyond children's songs. Each song is explained in
terms of cultural context, and translated in a way that helps you form
your own interpretation of its meaning. You'll discover that singing the
songs of Africa is a superb way to learn about her people, culture, and
history -- and it's fun!
Please see the end of this page for text and audio samples.
 More
Than a Songbook
The text includes music fundamentals, a pronunciation guide, and useful
introductions to West African society, sensibility, and spirituality.
Using the companion audio CD (included) you learn by singing along
like young Africans do - or just listen and enjoy. The CD was studio-recorded
especially for this book, so vocals and harmonies are easily heard over
the supporting drums. With insightful perspectives and a wealth of information,
this book is a must-have for students, teachers, and libraries.
$39.95 US RETAIL (see below for special pricing) , plus shipping and tax where applicable. 164 pages, 8.5" X 11", sturdy comb binding, black vinyl back cover. Includes 74-minute audio CD (DDD). Published by Alokli Press (an imprint of Alokli West African Dance).
ISBN 0-9704439-0-0.
Buy for $24.95 plus shipping at AMAZON.COM
Amazon usually prices at full retail, but look under "More Buying Choices" to find our listing (alokli). It's the same book & CD, brand new & shrinkwrapped, but we ship directly to you instead of their warehouse (and we keep most of the money). Please support us by buying direct!
Click Here to find our "Songs of West Africa" listing.
Editorial Reviews
"A terrific resource on African music. Dan Gorlin¹s
opening chapters on African music and culture are well written, informative,
accurate and full of excellent advice for performers. At the heart of
the book are lyrics from a wonderful collection of songs that are carefully
linked to excellent performances on the great sounding CD. The song texts
are sensitively translated and their meaning is well explained. I highly
recommend this book/CD set to everyone interested in African music."
-- David Locke, Tufts University, director
of Agbekor Drum & Dance Society,
author of Drum Gahu: The Rhythms of West African Music and others.
"A truly wonderful resource...and I know from my own
work with Abraham Adzenyah, Freeman Kwadzo Donkor and Maxwell Amoh how
much went into creating it (including the lengthy conversations that gave
you such insight into the tradition). Bravo!"
-- Judith Cook Tucker, Founder & Publisher
of World Music Press,
co-author of Let Your Voice Be Heard: Songs from Ghana and Zimbabwe
and others.
"Dan Gorlin's Songs of West Africa is a welcome and
timely addition to the written and audio repertoire. As African music
has gained in popularity, it has often thinned out in depth. This book
and CD set brings many of the most important elements of this art form
into focus for the reader. Beautifully laid out and easy to follow, this
collection will inspire those already involved in West African music and
provide newcomers with a coherent and substantial introduction to this
wonderful repertoire of songs. Gorlin's clear presentation is obviously
steeped in rich experience and we can imagine the creative community around
him that must exist for a publication of this quality to be made. Its
scholarly integrity and general accessibility make it suitable for educators,
researchers and performers alike."
-- Kathy Armstrong, Co-Founder & Artistic
Director of Baobab Tree
Drum*Dance*Community, Ottawa, Canada
More About the Book
Learn more about Songs of West Africa by browsing the samples
below and by visiting our Articles
page. For help reading PDF or playing MP3 files, click
here. Still have questions? Please email
us and we'll try to answer them.
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