Indulgence

African Chants

Oscar Wilde from The Picture of Dorian Gray
The aim of life is self-development. To realise one's nature perfectly -- that is what each of us is here for.

Yesterday, I went to Shangri-La to meet up with my good friend Cathy whom I haven't seen in months. We chose to eat at Dome since we always eat or drink coffee there. And we caught up with what has transpired in the months that we were not in communication. We talked for 2 and a half hours while we ate dinner and had dessert and smoked. It was good to be in her company again. It was nice to see her growing as a person. I missed her a lot.

When we had kissed each other good-bye, we separated ways, I passed by Krokodile Grill and I saw Jaypee waving at me. He had come to see old friends as well and we haven't seen each other for almost 4 weeks. Hurriedly, we walked up to each other and hugged. How are you's and how have you been's were quickly exchanged. We began to talk and tried to catch up on what was missing on what we knew of each other for the 3 weeks since last we spoke. He learned I was voraciously reading and that I had just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray and leant me Su Tong's Rice. I started reading it last night and after 200 pages (the prose is simple yet precise), went to sleep. I find the book rather extreme in its portrayal of brutality and desperation. There is no rise or fall in character -- everyone is just debased and vicious and cruel. I found it one-dimensional and so, while rather interesting, could not rise to the level of a really moving story. It was just an exercise of these horrid acts of malice. It could have been more interesting if it were more steeped into characters morally torn apart by their own desperation and sinking unwillingly into the abyss of the human soul. It lacked that grit. But it is interesting since the story is set in China in the 1930s. I'm seeing a different view of the world and that's always good.
The hours I spent in the Shangri-La promenade (is it a promenade?) was filled with laughter and good company. What made it even special was that the whole time, the speaker systems were playing these gorgeous African songs with African chanting, which I absolutely loved. These songs on a gentle drum beat, a guitar strumming and some keyboards were just a backdrop to the gorgeous African choir singing of themes I no nothing about. All I know is that it was beautiful and moving and I had to have it. So I asked the waiter which restaurant or stall had control of the sound system and he told me that it was with the administration. I asked him if he could find out what was the title of the CD.

I continued to nurse my 1 beer (I didn't really want to drink last night) and bided my time. I had a head ache and I wanted to go home and sleep. But then, I haven't seen Jaypee in a long time and I was enjoying the company and I was told that they didn't know what CD it was. They have to wait until the CD had stopped so they can take it out.

Wait I did as I moved on to my 2nd beer of the night and more stories and what if situations; just having fun and talking. The songs were just getting better and better. It was a fucking good CD and I was getting very antsy. I wanted it. I wanted it badly and I was thinking of turning violent or storming into the Admin office and demanding to know what it was called. My head ache turned worse.

Finally, the CD ended and there was a long pause. I spoke to the Security Guard who was walking around to use his communication device to ask what the CD was. He spoke to a little microphone and then told me that it was a 4-CD Sound System and they couldn't just open it. I replied hastily, but there's no music playing! They might as well open it now. So he spoke again into his little microphone and he had this smile on his face thinking Boy, this guy has a real hard on for African songs!

I waited with bated breath. I had to know. He then turned to me, put a finger to his left ear where the ear piece was located and then smiled and said that the CD was just a compilation that they got from Tower Records. Damn! Double damn! I've been to Tower several times looking for African chanting, like the added songs from The Lion King, the Broadway musical version (not the cartoon). I love African chants. All I saw at Tower Records at the World music section was the Putomayo African children songs. It wasn't what I was looking for.

When I have free time, I'm going back to Tower Records and asking them for all their African chanting CDs, going through each one in the listening station and finding that collection. It was beautiful. I loved each song. I just love African chanting music. Any suggestions for good African chanting music?

** Picture with group taken by Jaypee -- me, Jaypee, Ayet and Anne walking around Manila, sometime in 2004
** Picture of me pretending to be angry taken in a webcam in an internet cafe in Malate sometime in 2004

posted by wanggo @ 4:09 PM