Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer - Spirit Cry Flutes and Bamboo Jews Harps from Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands and Madang [2LP]

Format: 2 x LP
Catalogue No.: SOMA048LP
Barcode: 0647581407769
Release Date: 30 Jun 2023
Genre: Alternative

Gatefold double LP with large 8pp booklet. Double CD with 20pp booklet. Third release in a trilogy of double LP and double CD documents of the invaluable ethomusicological research of Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer in Papua New Guinea from the 1970s. Limited edition pressings have consistently sold out. In collaboration with David Toop. “A New Guinea Journey”, Dr. Ragnar Johnson’s 289pp manuscript journaling the research in the 1970s is published simultaneously to the release of these audio documents. The third part of Ideologic Organ Music’s trilogy together with Dr. Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Mayer’s anthropological field recordings of sacred flute music from the island of Papua New Guinea in the 1970s. A book titled “A Papua New Guinea Recording Journey” consisting of Dr. Johnson’s field notes from the entire research period will be published simultaneously with this music release. “The recording of a male initiation ceremony with sacred flutes, bullroarers and ‘crying baby’ leaves was only possible after fifteen months residence during anthropological research. From the same Ommura villages in the Eastern Highlands there are bamboo jews harps, yam fertility flutes and singing. Nama (‘bird’) sacred flutes were recorded in a Gahuku Gama village in the town of Goroka. There are Mo-mo bamboo resonating tubes and singing from the Finisterre Range of Madang. From the Ramu Coast region of Madang there are: Waudang flutes, garamut slit gongs and singing from Manam Island, Maner flutes from Awar village and Siam and Guna flutes and garamuts from Nubia Sissimungum Village. These previously unreleased recordings were made in 1976 and 1979.” Ragnar Johnson, London 2021.

Tracklisting: 01 Habaio 02 Naio 03 Kureh 04 Uko 05 Tourori 06 Anno 07 Kureh 2 08 Pwahabai 09 Ommura Iyavati 10 Uko and Queh-queh 11 Vuvira Ihi 12 Vuvira 13 Ora-ihi 14 Suwaira Ihi 15 Nama 16 Mo-mo 17 Waudang 18 Maner 1 19 Maner 2 20 Siam 1 21 Siam 2 22 Guna