Soul music

^Abayudaya: Music from the Jewish People of Uganda~ Smithsonian Folkways *** 1/2 This is like no Jewish music you’ve ever heard. There’s nothing here of the European folk influences of Klezmer, no clarinet or fiddle, and no hint of the Middle East either. In fact, virtually nobody is even aware of the ^Abayudaya~, a community of about 600 Jews who live in a remote area of eastern Uganda and whose ancestors converted to Judaism in 1919, led by one Semei Kakungulu, a military leader who transferred his devotion from the Malakites, who combined a form of Protestantism with Judaism. But this music – ah, that’s the real find, for the ^Abayudaya~ have melded traditional Jewish liturgical themes with African rhythms to produce songs that are often quite beautiful. The 24 tracks, some of them less than a minute long, range from psalms, sung in a mix of Luganda and Hebrew, to children’s lullabies such as ^Tulo, Tulo~ (Sleep, Sleep), to traditional Baganda folk songs such as ^Kabbila~ (The Patch of Forest). But the lion’s share is given to religious music. Some is taken directly from the Hebrew prayer book, such as ^Adon Olam~ (Master of the World) and the Sabbath blessings over wine and bread. For me, the most interesting songs are the most idiosyncratic, and the most African. ^Katondo Oyo Nalimana~ (God is All-Knowing) is a traditional song of the Basogas, accompanied by two sorts of drums and a gourd shaker. ^I Am a Soldier~ is a Pentecostal church song that has been Judaized by the addition of a final Hebrew verse. But I don’t want to leave the impression that this CD is mostly of anthropological interest. The singing is often exquisite, the sentiments unimpeachable, the mood haunting. A revelation.

Photo Credit: folkways.si.edu