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The Ballad and the Source
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The Ballad and the Source

directed by John Cohen, 1932-; produced by John Cohen, 1932- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1983), 19 mins
The tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing is very old and still cherished in Great Britain, though only a few traditional singers are still alive. This sensitive musical portrait profiles the life and art of Walter Pardon, perhaps the finest living traditional English ballad singer.This classic documentary, pr...
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The Ballad and the Source

directed by John Cohen, 1932-; produced by John Cohen, 1932- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1983), 19 mins
Description
The tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing is very old and still cherished in Great Britain, though only a few traditional singers are still alive. This sensitive musical portrait profiles the life and art of Walter Pardon, perhaps the finest living traditional English ballad singer.This classic documentary, produced by noted filmmaker, photographer, and folk singer John Cohen, is an incisive exploration of a dying tradition.
Field of Study
World Music
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
John Cohen, 1932-
Author / Creator
John Cohen, 1932-
Date Published / Released
1983
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Person Discussed
Walter Pardon
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Singers, Performing arts life, English
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1983 Berkeley Media
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Carnival King of Europe, Tabom in Bahia
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Carnival King of Europe, Tabom in Bahia

directed by Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017 and Nilton Pereira, fl. 2017; produced by Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017, Brazil. Embassy (Accra), Tap Portugal and Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, S.L., in Carnival King of Europe (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 2017), 52 mins
There is a small community in Ghana who identify as Brazilians. Their name is the Tabom. They are the descendants of former enslaved Africans and creoles who resettled from Bahia to Ghana during the 19th century, especially after the Malês Revolt in Bahia of 1835. They left Bahia escaping repression, looking for...
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Carnival King of Europe, Tabom in Bahia

directed by Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017 and Nilton Pereira, fl. 2017; produced by Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017, Brazil. Embassy (Accra), Tap Portugal and Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, S.L., in Carnival King of Europe (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 2017), 52 mins
Description
There is a small community in Ghana who identify as Brazilians. Their name is the Tabom. They are the descendants of former enslaved Africans and creoles who resettled from Bahia to Ghana during the 19th century, especially after the Malês Revolt in Bahia of 1835. They left Bahia escaping repression, looking for better life opportunities, and in search of their ancestral roots. They were received by the Ga people in British, Danish and Dutch-dom... There is a small community in Ghana who identify as Brazilians. Their name is the Tabom. They are the descendants of former enslaved Africans and creoles who resettled from Bahia to Ghana during the 19th century, especially after the Malês Revolt in Bahia of 1835. They left Bahia escaping repression, looking for better life opportunities, and in search of their ancestral roots. They were received by the Ga people in British, Danish and Dutch-dominated Accra and gradually integrated to this group and to the larger Ghanaian society. However, despite the fact that they no longer speak Portuguese and that most have never set foot in Brazil, they still cherish Brazil and have never given up their dream to visit Bahia, their ancestral homeland.Master drummer Eric Odwarkei Morton is one of many Tabom who has dreamt all his life about visiting Bahia. He is a sixth generation Tabom and a key member of his community who presides religious and funerary ceremonies through song, drumming, and prayers. Tabom in Bahia documents Eric's journey to Brazil and also his preparation for the trip in Accra. The three-week journey took him to urban and rural locations in Salvador, Cachoeira, Santo Amaro, and Valença. Eric met with capoeira and samba-de-roda masters, Candomblé dancers, musicians, and spiritual leaders, members of carnival associations, music teachers and students, and black activists. He was received with anticipation and treated with utmost respect by an Afro-Bahian community that cherishes their African heritage. During the trip Eric not only discovered capoeira, samba-de-roda, samba-reggae, ijexa, and various Candomblé traditions, but also shared agbe, the musical style that he commands.Ethnomusicologist: Juan Diego Diaz Show more Show less
Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017, Brazil. Embassy (Accra), Tap Portugal, Fiesta Hotels & Resorts, S.L.
Author / Creator
Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017, Nilton Pereira, fl. 2017
Date Published / Released
2017
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Carnival King of Europe
Speaker / Narrator
Juan Diego Diaz, fl. 2017
Topic / Theme
Cultural identity, Drums, Folk music, Samba, Candomblé, Capoeira, African Brazilian, Agudas
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2017 Royal Anthropological Institute
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Echoes from Tibet
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Echoes from Tibet

directed by Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001; produced by Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001, Open End Theatre (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 27 mins

Echoes From Tibet - Panoramic views of the high snow ranges provide the backdrop for the austere and rugged village life of Tibetans and Ladakhis, high in the the western Himalayas. "Echoes from Tibet" examines their shared social habits, Buddhist religion and customs. Tibetan script Harvesting and threshing; work...

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Echoes from Tibet

directed by Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001; produced by Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001, Open End Theatre (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 27 mins
Description

Echoes From Tibet - Panoramic views of the high snow ranges provide the backdrop for the austere and rugged village life of Tibetans and Ladakhis, high in the the western Himalayas. "Echoes from Tibet" examines their shared social habits, Buddhist religion and customs. Tibetan script Harvesting and threshing; work songs; the vigorous yak dance - all these are explored in the first half of this film.

Next, we are taken to a Tibetan refugee settlem...

Echoes From Tibet - Panoramic views of the high snow ranges provide the backdrop for the austere and rugged village life of Tibetans and Ladakhis, high in the the western Himalayas. "Echoes from Tibet" examines their shared social habits, Buddhist religion and customs. Tibetan script Harvesting and threshing; work songs; the vigorous yak dance - all these are explored in the first half of this film.

Next, we are taken to a Tibetan refugee settlement for a look at daily life and work. Men and women work at typical handicrafts while singing work songs. Tibetan women make carpet trimmings with accompanying songs. They collect their children from a day nursery; going home and working at their spinning wheels.

A huge incense burner with rising smoke welcomes a visit from his holiness, the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan Children's Village at Dharamsala in the western foothills of the Himalayas. The film ends with an extract from a ritual dance-drama staged for the occasion of the Dalai Lama's visit, followed by a dance of the Black Hat Sect. A wonderful and intimate look at these fascinating people.

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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001, Open End Theatre
Author / Creator
Deben Bhattacharya, 1921-2001
Date Published / Released
1980, 2004
Publisher
Multicultural Media
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Ladakhi
Copyright Message
© Open End Theater & Deben Bhattacharya Ltd. 1980
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Flamenco! The Land Is Still Fertile (Director's Cut)
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Flamenco! The Land Is Still Fertile (Director's Cut)

directed by Eve A. Ma, 1943-; produced by Eve A. Ma, 1943-, Palomino Productions (Berkeley, CA: Palomino Pro, 2023), 1 hour 40 mins
With world-class performance, fascinating interviews, footage of beautiful locations in southern Spain and similar visually compelling materials we examine traditional flamenco - that passionate art form, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. What is it? What are its roots?...
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Flamenco! The Land Is Still Fertile (Director's Cut)

directed by Eve A. Ma, 1943-; produced by Eve A. Ma, 1943-, Palomino Productions (Berkeley, CA: Palomino Pro, 2023), 1 hour 40 mins
Description
With world-class performance, fascinating interviews, footage of beautiful locations in southern Spain and similar visually compelling materials we examine traditional flamenco - that passionate art form, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. What is it? What are its roots? What are its ties to farm workers and other dispossessed peoples? Was it created by gitanos (Spanish Gypsies), and is this significant?... With world-class performance, fascinating interviews, footage of beautiful locations in southern Spain and similar visually compelling materials we examine traditional flamenco - that passionate art form, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. What is it? What are its roots? What are its ties to farm workers and other dispossessed peoples? Was it created by gitanos (Spanish Gypsies), and is this significant?. And finally, what is the likely future of traditional flamenco? Show more Show less
Field of Study
Dance
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Eve A. Ma, 1943-, Palomino Productions, Antonio de la Malena, fl. 2010
Author / Creator
Eve A. Ma, 1943-
Date Published / Released
2023
Publisher
Palomino Pro
Speaker / Narrator
Antonio de la Malena, fl. 2010
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Flamenco, Romani
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2023 Palomino Pro, LLC
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Gypsies Sing Long Ballads
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Gypsies Sing Long Ballads

directed by John Cohen, 1932-; produced by John Cohen, 1932- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1982), 29 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Scotland's Gypsies have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some of the 'Travelling People' still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied Bri...
Sample

Gypsies Sing Long Ballads

directed by John Cohen, 1932-; produced by John Cohen, 1932- (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 1982), 29 mins,
Source: www.berkeleymedia.com
Description
Scotland's Gypsies have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some of the 'Travelling People' still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied British ballads that date back hundreds of years and have been handed down by memory through the generations. This remarkable and sensitiv... Scotland's Gypsies have lived outside mainstream society for more than 500 years. Although some of the 'Travelling People' still live by the sides of roads, most live today in houses and are under pressure to abandon their culture. This film celebrates their traditional music, especially the long unaccompanied British ballads that date back hundreds of years and have been handed down by memory through the generations. This remarkable and sensitive documentary will be of interest to courses in cultural anthropology, European peoples, ethnomusicology, and the arts and humanities. It was produced by the noted filmmaker and musician, John Cohen. Show more Show less
Field of Study
World Music
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
John Cohen, 1932-
Author / Creator
John Cohen, 1932-
Date Published / Released
1982
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Ethnomusicology, Singing, Music history, Scots, Romani
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1982 Berkeley Media
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Music of the Mande
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Music of the Mande

(Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2016), 1 hour 27 mins

Mande Music and Dance: Performed by Mandinka Musicians in Gambia in the late Twentieth Century.

These films, including 18 separate events, made at the beginning of the Super 8 era with a silent camera and separate tape recorder, and at the end, with a sound-sync camera, feature performances by some of The Gambi...

Sample

Music of the Mande

(Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2016), 1 hour 27 mins
Description

Mande Music and Dance: Performed by Mandinka Musicians in Gambia in the late Twentieth Century.

These films, including 18 separate events, made at the beginning of the Super 8 era with a silent camera and separate tape recorder, and at the end, with a sound-sync camera, feature performances by some of The Gambia's legendary Mandinka musicians. With a single roving camera, ethnomusicologist, Roderic Knight captures the enthusiasm and artistry o...

Mande Music and Dance: Performed by Mandinka Musicians in Gambia in the late Twentieth Century.

These films, including 18 separate events, made at the beginning of the Super 8 era with a silent camera and separate tape recorder, and at the end, with a sound-sync camera, feature performances by some of The Gambia's legendary Mandinka musicians. With a single roving camera, ethnomusicologist, Roderic Knight captures the enthusiasm and artistry of jaliyaa, one of Africa's classic genres, and several other genres, including tantango drumming, a style that is today being eclipsed by the djembe.

I. Music of the Warriors, Hunters, and Ordinary People - 2:38

II. Professional Music: Mandinka Jaliyaa with the Kora - 38:48
Bai Konteh, Jali Mori Suso, Amadu Bansang Jobarteh, Jali Nyama Suso, Suntu Suso, Masireng Kuyateh, a kullio, kora making.

III. Gambian Tantango Drumming - 31:31
Lenjengo/Seruba, Nyaka Julo, Kanyelango, Nyoboringo (wrestling), Kankurango

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Date Written / Recorded
1970
Field of Study
World Music
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Roderic C. Knight
Author / Creator
Roderic C. Knight
Date Published / Released
2016
Publisher
Multicultural Media
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Mandinka
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Music of West Africa: The Mandinka and their Neighbors
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Music of West Africa: The Mandinka and their Neighbors

(Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 35 mins

This video presents ten historical scenes, captured on 8mm film at a time when portable video had not yet emerged as a viable medium. Eight of the scenes were filmed by Roderic Knight; two were contributed by renowned Gambian expert David Gamble. With the invaluable assistance of Elio Trabal, OC 2004, the footage...

Sample

Music of West Africa: The Mandinka and their Neighbors

(Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 35 mins
Description

This video presents ten historical scenes, captured on 8mm film at a time when portable video had not yet emerged as a viable medium. Eight of the scenes were filmed by Roderic Knight; two were contributed by renowned Gambian expert David Gamble. With the invaluable assistance of Elio Trabal, OC 2004, the footage has been lifted from the confines of the author's classroom to the present format, enabling its presentation to a wider public.

Each sc...

This video presents ten historical scenes, captured on 8mm film at a time when portable video had not yet emerged as a viable medium. Eight of the scenes were filmed by Roderic Knight; two were contributed by renowned Gambian expert David Gamble. With the invaluable assistance of Elio Trabal, OC 2004, the footage has been lifted from the confines of the author's classroom to the present format, enabling its presentation to a wider public.

Each scene focuses on a specific event or musical group. Five are devoted to regional sub-groups of the broad Mande culture: The Mandinka of The Gambia, the Koranko of Guinea, and the Serahuli of Mali. The other five scenes feature the Fula, Balanta, and Jola people. Also included are glimpses of the Super Eagles, a popular Gambian band, and the first Gambian president, Sir Dawda Jawara, speaking at a political rally.

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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Roderic C. Knight, David P. Gamble, 1920-2011
Author / Creator
Roderic C. Knight, David P. Gamble, 1920-2011
Date Published / Released
2004
Publisher
Multicultural Media
Topic / Theme
Folk music, African, Fula, Wolof, Mandinka
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The Presence of the Past: Madagascar, Music, and Devotion
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The Presence of the Past: Madagascar, Music, and Devotion

directed by Ron Emoff, fl. 1993; produced by Ron Emoff, fl. 1993 (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 54 mins
People throughout Madagascar maintain a strong reverential connection to their ancestors, whose spirits may be called upon to enter into the present to resolve problems and to heal illness. Music performance provides a vital means of communicating with these ancestral spirits, thus of evoking the past and the powe...
Sample

The Presence of the Past: Madagascar, Music, and Devotion

directed by Ron Emoff, fl. 1993; produced by Ron Emoff, fl. 1993 (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2004), 54 mins
Description
People throughout Madagascar maintain a strong reverential connection to their ancestors, whose spirits may be called upon to enter into the present to resolve problems and to heal illness. Music performance provides a vital means of communicating with these ancestral spirits, thus of evoking the past and the power emergent in it. This project results from intensive ethnographic research that Ron Emoff performed on the east coast of Madagascar fr... People throughout Madagascar maintain a strong reverential connection to their ancestors, whose spirits may be called upon to enter into the present to resolve problems and to heal illness. Music performance provides a vital means of communicating with these ancestral spirits, thus of evoking the past and the power emergent in it. This project results from intensive ethnographic research that Ron Emoff performed on the east coast of Madagascar from 1993 through 1995. Dr. Emoff's fieldwork focused upon connections between musical performance, spirit possession, ways of recollecting the past, constructions of power, and perceptions of the colonial era in Madagascar. Show more Show less
Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Ron Emoff, fl. 1993
Author / Creator
Ron Emoff, fl. 1993
Date Published / Released
2004
Publisher
Multicultural Media
Speaker / Narrator
Ron Emoff, fl. 1993
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Religious rites and ceremonies, Malagasy
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Seán Ó Sé: Saol Caite le hAmhráin agus Scéalta / A Life in Song and Story
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Seán Ó Sé: Saol Caite le hAmhráin agus Scéalta / A Life in Song and Story

directed by Matthew Allen; produced by Matthew Allen (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2016), 1 hour 30 mins
Seán Ó Sé’s long and illustrious career as "a giant of Irish music" has touched all bases in the Irish music business. His unique, unforgettable tenor voice was nurtured in a family of singers. Seán’s voice first reached a wide audience in Ireland in the 1960s working with composer Seán Ó Riada in the gr...
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Seán Ó Sé: Saol Caite le hAmhráin agus Scéalta / A Life in Song and Story

directed by Matthew Allen; produced by Matthew Allen (Montpelier, VT: Multicultural Media, 2016), 1 hour 30 mins
Description
Seán Ó Sé’s long and illustrious career as "a giant of Irish music" has touched all bases in the Irish music business. His unique, unforgettable tenor voice was nurtured in a family of singers. Seán’s voice first reached a wide audience in Ireland in the 1960s working with composer Seán Ó Riada in the group Ceoltóirí Chualann which catapulted Irish traditional music onto the concert stage and into the international arena. The film exp... Seán Ó Sé’s long and illustrious career as "a giant of Irish music" has touched all bases in the Irish music business. His unique, unforgettable tenor voice was nurtured in a family of singers. Seán’s voice first reached a wide audience in Ireland in the 1960s working with composer Seán Ó Riada in the group Ceoltóirí Chualann which catapulted Irish traditional music onto the concert stage and into the international arena. The film explores Seán’s musical life within the contexts of his deep attachment to the Irish language, West Cork and the Beara peninsula, and his passion for his career in teaching and education administration in Cork City. The film features live performances and interviews with longtime associates from the worlds of music and education. Show more Show less
Field of Study
World Music
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Matthew Allen
Author / Creator
Matthew Allen
Date Published / Released
2016
Publisher
Multicultural Media
Person Discussed
Seán Ó Sé, 1936-
Topic / Theme
Singers, Folk music, Irish
Copyright Message
© Matthew Allen, 2016
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This is A Music: Reclaiming An Untouchable Drum
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This is A Music: Reclaiming An Untouchable Drum

directed by Zoe C. Sherinian; produced by Zoe C. Sherinian (Sherinian Productions, 2011), 1 hour 13 mins
This ethnomusicological documentary is about the psychological and economic transformation of a group of Dalit [formerly called outcaste or untouchable] parai frame drummers from a village near Paramagudi, Tamil Nadu, South India. The internal shift in the self-perception that these drummers undergo includes three...
Sample

This is A Music: Reclaiming An Untouchable Drum

directed by Zoe C. Sherinian; produced by Zoe C. Sherinian (Sherinian Productions, 2011), 1 hour 13 mins
Description
This ethnomusicological documentary is about the psychological and economic transformation of a group of Dalit [formerly called outcaste or untouchable] parai frame drummers from a village near Paramagudi, Tamil Nadu, South India. The internal shift in the self-perception that these drummers undergo includes three interwoven threads of musical identity: the identity of the drum, of the music they play, and of the status of the drummers. Through t... This ethnomusicological documentary is about the psychological and economic transformation of a group of Dalit [formerly called outcaste or untouchable] parai frame drummers from a village near Paramagudi, Tamil Nadu, South India. The internal shift in the self-perception that these drummers undergo includes three interwoven threads of musical identity: the identity of the drum, of the music they play, and of the status of the drummers. Through the lens of rarely filmed folk performances and the experience of an American female ethnomusicologist who comes to study with the group Kurinji Malar, we see a group of nine drummers trying to eke out a living while negotiating ongoing caste discrimination in their village. The Hindu caste system constructs parai drummers and their drum as polluted because they play for funerals. As they have professionalized, however, they reconstruct their performance as “music” and their identity as “worldly.” The film also explores the economic options of these musicians as laborers. Two of the best drummers are tempted to limit their “drumset” performances to auspicious festival occasions because they are able to make enough money and gain social status as construction workers. Other members who work as field laborers or shepherd goats are completely dependent on drumming to supplement their income. The narrative of this film focuses on the cultural debate among these drummers over whether they should reclaim the term parai (associated by many with the drummer’s “degraded” caste name Paraiyar) or they should continue to use the English term “drumset,” which carries middleclass status. When the drummers get an opportunity to go to the large cosmopolitan city of Chennai to participate in the Chennai Sangamam folk festival, they experience very different treatment at the hands of both the festival organizers and the multi-caste, multi-class urban audience. On their way to the festival they are shocked to find the extensive use of the term “parai-attam” or parai dance in all of the festival advertisement. One of the drummers asks, “Why do they still associate us with the ‘Paraiyan’ caste? Why won’t they let us walk freely in society?” When we interview them soon after they arrive and then at the end of their festival week in Chennai, we see, however, that their overwhelmingly positive reception has greatly shifted their self-perception and value of village based folk artists. Further, they decide to (re)embrace of the term “parai.” It becomes clear that experiencing this appreciation helps the Kurinji Malar drummers reinforce a sense of pride in their drumming as valued music where as previously it was easy for them to internalize these practices as degraded. The question then becomes; can they sustain these changes back in the village? This film shows that changing how parai drummers identify their art reflects the process of changing self-identity through musical performance possible for those still considered by many as “untouchables.” However, this case ultimately shows that complete change in presentation of self in the village context is difficult because of the economic dependence of outcaste drummers on the village middle castes who continue to practice casteism. Woven throughout the film are dynamic and rare examples of village folk dances like karagattam, kummi and oiylattam, oppari funeral lament, stick fighting, and drumming as well as the voices of the drummers and local activists, who tell the story of the process of working for the economic and social liberation of the oppressed Dalits of India through the folk arts. Show more Show less
Field of Study
World Music
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Zoe C. Sherinian
Author / Creator
Zoe C. Sherinian
Date Published / Released
2011
Publisher
Sherinian Productions
Topic / Theme
Folk music, Spirituality, Religious beliefs, Ethnomusicology, Drums, Tamil
Copyright Message
Copyright (c) 2011 Sherinian Productions LLC
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