Amazonia Music

Shamans of the Amazon sing magical chants that are sung or whistled.

Each culture has it's own kinds of music and they serve often a role in spiritual matters and for ceremonies. In Peru, they are called ícaros. At the beginning of a ceremony their purpose is to provoke the mareación or visionary trance state, and to render the mind more susceptible for visions to penetrate. The shaman on his plant diet learns the ícaros directly from the plant spirits. Many shamans, such as Pablo Amaringo, who was an artist inspired by his visions, regarded the ícaro as the sound of the universe—the planets, stars, comets, and supernovas. Everything is created by music, by vibration, by sound. Ícaros are believed by the indigenous people to be the music of creation. Source: Steve Beyer, author of Singing to the Plants - A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon.

Featured Music

The Shipibo are one of fourteen indigenous tribes living deep within the Amazon basin of Peru. Throughout history they have recorded their songs, or icaros, in a unique system of elaborate geometric designs found in their art which correlates and interacts directly with the natural world. The connection between the icaros and the patterns appear on everything from their textiles to their pottery, jewelry, and even body art. Woven Songs of the Amazon recorded by Barrett Martin offers us a special glimps into this magical world.

MAKUNAIMA AND THE SPIRITS OF THE EARTH is a music creation composed by Gerry Weil and Hector Di Donna, built on the ritual, ceremonial and everyday songs of the Pemon of the Venezuelan/Brazillian Amazon. The Pemon recordings were provided to Weil and Di Donna by anthopologist Estaban Vicente Mosonyl Arreaza of the Institute of Ethnomusicology of Venezuela.

Amazonia Ambient Project: Based on the experience of an anthropologist and three electronic musicians, this project combines the current reality of the Amazon including ecology, shamanism and the encounter between cultures.

Waorani includes Tribal, Ritual, Indigenous chanting, acapelo singing, nature sounds from the indigenous culture of the Waorani from Ecuador and Amazon.

Reahu He ã CD: Yanomami ceremonies and rituals

One of the Yanomami’s greatest ceremonies is reahu where communities come together in a ritual to honor a dead person and features Davi Kopenawa Yanomami.

Music of the Ye'kuana

(Makiritare) of the Venezualan Amazon

The State of Amazonas

Indigenous and Criollo Music from Venezuela

Going Native in Venezuela

This DVD contains three documentaries on the rich diversity of musical cultures in Venezuela, each around 30 minutes of length.
'Of saints and drums' explores Afro-Hispanic music, particularly issues of identity, religious cults, and various percussive traditions.
'arpa criollo' is about the national cult of joropo (dance) and harp music. For a video clip see joropo CD.
'Kuamore'documents indigenous music of native groups living in remote corners of the country: the Hiwi, Piaroa, Yukpa, Wayu, Yekuana and Yanomami.

Ambient Amazon: Combines traditional songs with a modern sounds here to create ambient dance tracks inspired by chants from heart of the Amazon Forest of South America. The alblum features a variety of bands from South America digitally mixed with sounds from the Waorani Indians.

This album represents musics of seven tribal cultures: the Garifune of Belize; the Choco Indians of Panama and Colombia; the Shipibo and the Ashaninka, both of Peru; the Aluku of French Guiana; the Wayana of Suriname, and the Maroons of Jamaica. The music is integrally connected to settings where healing, spiritual forces, and practical knowledge of the forest converge. The Spirit Cries: Music from the Rainforests of South America & the Caribbean is now part of the Mickey Hart Collection made available by Smithsonian Folkways.

The Rainforest and You is the product of Kurumikidz' first music project which is all about the Amazon Rainforest. It is filled with songs about life in the Brazillian jungle and was a joint project of teachers and musicians from the UK and Brazil. The aim of the project was intended to plant seed of thought that will grow and flourish within those children they are able to reach with their music. They hope it will be taken forward on their journey into adult-hood.

The purity of nature captured on The Natural Sound of Rainforest CD for your enjoyment by Medwyn Goodall. Pristine rainforest recording in real time, perfect for relaxation and pleasant ambiance. Let yourself let go and travel deep within the canopy of dense jungle.

The primal sound of Shamanic drumming, recorded especially for trancework or Visionquest. Instruments include Framedrums, rattles, Native American Flutes and atmospheric effects. The CD was recorded with great care and attention to detail capturing the energy and clarity of a physical performance using authentic percussion.