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Geedal

from Eboka by Bayaka

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The geedal is a bow harp, widespread among many peoples in central Africa and beyond. The baAka version usually has six nylon strings. The geedal is a popular instrument with men and boys. Players are self-taught, and most boys can pluck out a couple of tunes at least. The geedal is a versatile instrument in terms of what can be (or is) played on it, and its bright clear tone lends itself well to accompaniment. This includes various forms of percussion-occasionally even skin drums, but more often sticks tapping bowls or pieces of corrugated tin-as well as singing. In the present selection, recorded one afternoon in 1986, the geedalist (a word coined by Balonyona, Yandoumbé’s most famous player) is a young man named Akété. Akété was a gifted musician with a lively, virtuoso style. He died in a hunting accident in 1989. He plays one of his own songs; mean-while his friend Zalogwé (the two were inseperable in those days) has taken command of one of the microphones. After introducing everyone present (including some young children) he begins to sing in a parody of villager church hymns. The singing is interspersed with news and gossip (his friend has come with palm wine to sell, the women have gone hunting, a dance is planned for that very night) and interrupted by frequent laughing, prompted by Zalogwé’s comical voice and brilliant timing. Towards the end some of Zalogwé’s gossip gets positively obscene. Akété and Zalogwé are
accompanied by teenage boys on percussion and a good number of children (boys and girls) who sing along. The result is a surprisingly innovative sound, a baAka pop song.

credits

from Eboka, released October 5, 2019
Akété - geedal, Zalogwé - vocal

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Sound Reporters Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sound Reporters let you listen to the sonic world and the musics of humans and other sentient beings. It goes beyond the definitions of music of the classic and popular genres and their schools. Sound Reporters feels akin to the sound expressions of the indigenous peoples and the sounds of natural phenomena.
The Sound Reporters Bandcamp channel is run by Maxim Chapochnikov and Fred Gales. ... more

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