Smithsonian Global Sound Interview

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"EXPLORE DEEPLY"
Interview with Smithsonian Ethnomusicologist Atesh Sonneborn

By Christopher M. Wright
© 2007 Christopher M. Wright
All Rights Reserved

Photo by Patrizia Pallaro

"What grabbed me was the realization that there were perceptions so different from mine -- I wanted to understand that." Hooked on world music since childhood, Atesh Sonneborn, Ph.D. went on to make it his life. He is currently associate director of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and acquisitions manager for Smithsonian Global Sound (a project of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage). He is also co-author of Planet Drum with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, journal contributor, conference keynote speaker, and Society for Ethnomusicology committee chair. Along the way, he has written original music for theater, film, and dance and produced concerts, festivals and recordings.

Here Sonneborn discusses how the richness of cross-cultural experience inspired his musical journey, traces the evolution of the Smithsonian Global Sound project from conception to launch in 2005, and describes his personal favorites from the Global Sound collection and beyond.

Smithsonian Global Sound:
Past, Present & Future - Interview (14.1 MB MP3 file - 15:28)

The Many Facets of Sufi Music - Interview (5:37)

Sonneborn's Personal Favorites - Where to Find Them
(Sound samples courtesy of Smithsonian Global Sound)

	When the Soul is Settled (Iraq): Interview (2:58) - Sample
	Ustad Mohammad Omar (Afghanistan): Interview (2:02) - Sample
	Invisible Face of the Beloved (Tajik, Uzbek): Interview (0:43) - Sample
	cELLAbration (African-American children's songs by Ella Jenkins): Interview (1:55) - Sample
	Calicanto (Italian Veneto): Interview (2:06) - Amazon Link Below
	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (South Asian Sufi): Amazon Link Below

New Releases - Where to Find Them

	Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing, and HIV/AIDS in Uganda - AIDS education lyrics put to traditional Ugandan tunes and theatrical arts [SFW40537]
	Por Por: Honk Horn Music of Ghana - truck driver horns, bells, percussion, and voices ]SFW40541]

AIM's Pick

Koutev Bulgarian National Ensemble: Interview (1:33) - Sample

Where to Find the Music

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Interview with Grammy-winning Folkways American roots music expert

Amazon Links

Calicanto

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan DVD

Singing for Life - on the Folkways website (link above) and at Amazon -

Honk Horn Music of Ghana - on the Folkways website (link above) and at Amazon -

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