We find this wondrous water drumming song to be a perfect uplift; it’s from the Banks Islands, part of the northern Vanuatu in the Indian Ocean.  Thirty-five seconds in, you will enter the realm of joy.

We love that these women are hanging out together hip-deep in water, using it as their instrument.

And dig those beautiful head-dresses, and leafy dresses they wear for this song:

Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal is also famous for making music with unconventional objects, notably water. Miles Davis called him the most impressive musician in the world.  Pascoal’s astonishing Musica de Lagoa was made in a lagoon… Well, really, he made the lagoon into an instrument…

It got us thinking about making our own music. We imagined taking some bottles or just the flat palms of our hands into whatever summery body of water we are able to splash around in —lake, ocean, river, pool, tub—  and make some music. Then we opened at random the ever-illuminating Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch and found this perfect piece of bibliomancy:

Where do we go to listen to the music that has not yet been heard? There is a place in our body to which we can turn and listen. If we go in there and become quiet, we can start to bring the music up.

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One thought on “Hot Weather Joy: Communal Water Music (Hermeto Pasoal, Vanuatu Women, Stephen Nachmanovitch, )

  1. Amazing content, I was really needing an uplift today 🙂
    And nice to see Hermeto being recognized by the world, I’m also Brazilian and that gave me an extra joy ????

    Thank you

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