Travelogue III: Asheville to Philadelphia
More road tunes, driving up the Appalachians and along the Eastern Seaboard
David Darling and the Wulu Bunuun - Mudanin Kata
J.S. Bach - Cantata 110: Unser Mund sei voll Lachens
The Social Harp Singers - The Social Harp Early American Shape-Note Songs
A whole lotta Gastropod
David Darling and the Wulu Bunuun - Mudanin Kata
A studio recording of the Bunuun people of Taiwan, made with cellist David Darling. Filled with joy and invention and some decently tasteless cello/synth additions. One of my favorite records, nonetheless.
Top Tracks: Ku-Isa Tama Laug, Macilumah, Pasibutbut
J.S. Bach - Cantata 110: Unser Mund sei voll Lachens
Bach’s Christmas Cantata, BWV 110, opens with a paraphrase of his Sinfonia in D Major, this glorious overture celebrating the coming of the Son of God. Pairs really well with Appalachian Mountains.
Top Tracks: Everything beginning with Unser. Just listen to it all.
The Social Harp Singers - The Social Harp Early American Shape-Note Songs
Shape-note singing is a truly American style of choral music (though I guess it came from England in the late 18th Century and there is a sort of cousin in the singing styles of the Hebrides in Scotland). Primarily used for teaching music quickly to kids and congregations, it uses shapes with solfege to make music more readable. The music that’s created sounds confident, though they’re reading from a pedagogical tool, with a rich sound, dense texture, and moments of individual freedom on the part of the singers. It’s, like the Bunuun recording, full of joy and invention.
Top Tracks: Singing School, Jolly Soldier, Heavenly Meeting
Podcasts
A LOT of Gastropod