Contemporary African Music
Taught by Dan Cwirka
Dan splits his time between various African countries and Brooklyn primarily working with musicians. In between those adventures he tries to make the most of his English Literature degree. He was once complimented on his sense of rhythm by a Ghanaian musician. This has given him an undeserved sense of superiority and confidence in his dancing. Within the same week a Brit remarked on his dry sense of humor and he held his own against a ping pong player from China. It was a stereotypically good week.
Paul Simon, Vampire Weekend, Fela! - there's always been a love of African music in the mainstream.
But most people are only familiar with the music it has influenced and what NPR decides to play. This class is to welcome you into the world of contemporary African music. It's a massive continent with a huge variety of sounds, but we'll get you to a point of familiarity that will allow you to explore further.
A quick overview of some of the musical history plus samples of all sorts of sounds from the worlds of kwaito, hip life, kudura, mbalax, and many others. Maybe even a little Angolan death metal. We will not be listening to Graceland.
