Melanesian Music

A list of IPNGS Music Department publications has now been added and includes information about the following:

Forms and Styles of Traditional Banoni Music
The Song to the Flying Fox
Lokal Musik
Mission and Music
Songs of Spirits

The book Re-counting Knowledge in Song.

On 16 November, Dr. Jacob Simet, Executive Director of the National Cultural Commission officially launched the latest book published by the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies (IPNGS), Re-counting Knowledge in Song: Change Reflected in Kaulong Music by Birgit Drüppel.

The ABC's pacific Break site has a new post

Video from Youtube:

I have just added a spam filter as I get so many emails from users that have dodgy (usually .ru) email addresses with intent to spam using comments. I have set this filter to be pretty stringent so there might be some issues over the next few weeks with posts being rejected or placed in a queue for review. If anything happens to your postings or comments please email me (Denis.Crowdy at mq.edu.au) and I'll tweak things until we get it right.

Denis Crowdy

This was in The National recently (their archives are down at the moment so apologies for the lack of detail)

Sounds of Chimbu destroyed
Source: By ZACHERY PER - The National

A RARE collection of traditional Chimbu songs, string band music, legends and myths and traditional bamboo flute sounds were destroyed last week.
The National Broadcasting Corporation’s library and archives building in Kundiawa, containing this rare collection, was demolished last Thursday to make way for the new highlands regional treasury building.

Check out the new Telek film clip to accompany his new releases,Akave in Australia,and Pairap Gen in PNG.it is an Airi Ingram remix of West Papua(merdeka mix) featuring Ngairie joseph.

I have had this recording for 16 months now, and inspired by a discussion on the Masalai blog I decided to upload it to YouTube.

The recording was made December 13th 2008 at the Solomon Islands Prime Minister's compound in Vavaya Ridge in Honiara. It is of Edwin Sitori, the composer of Wakabaot Long Saenataon, playing his most famous composition with One Drop Band.
Sitori is one of the few remaining stringband performers from the 1950s.

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDHDNBqMDus

I'm currently working on a co-authored book due out in 2011 with Oxford University Press Global Music series (Jane Moulin on Polynesia, Brian Diettrich on Micronesia, Webb on Melanesia). It is titled Music of Pacific Island Cultures. It's looking pretty interesting so far and will be 'accessible' from the readership point of view (I really hope it can get some circulation in the Pacific Islands). A CD will be included.

Tuesday March 16, Ulli Beier Building, UPNG, Port Moresby

Thomas Lulungan has written an informative article on the PNG music industry and has posted it on the CHM website. It was also published in the Rage supplement of the Feb 10 edition of the Post Courier (thanks to Don Niles for this information).