Nwamara (Tradition TRAD 001, 1984), by the Nkelebe Brothers, is like no other recording of Igbo music I have ever heard. I don't know if these ethereal, polyphonic vocal stylings are unique to the group's area - Isiala Ngwa North LGA (county) in Abia State, Nigeria - or if this mode of singing is found throughout Ala Igbo. After all, there are many Igbo records I haven't listened to!
The Ngwa people, from whom the Nkelebe Brothers hail, are an Igbo sub-group about whom there are many tall tales. The word nkelebe itself describes a type of Igbo praise-singing, although I haven't been able to find out much beyond that. I can say, though, that this six-member group, utilizing only their voices and basic percussion - Udu (pottery drum), Samba (square drum), and Mpaka (sticks) - produce deeply moving music that reminds me of the contrapuntal vocals of central Africa, although there is probably no direct connection.
The title of the first song, taking up all of Side One, means "A Well-Behaved Woman is a Gift":
Nkelebe Brothers - Agwa Nwanyi Bu Oji
"Ole Ndi Bu Eze" - "Where Are the Kings?":
Nkelebe Brothers - Ole Ndi Bu Eze
"Akwukwa Bu Ogu" roughly translates as "Your bad intentions won't hurt me because my heart is pure":
Nkelebe Brothers - Akwukwa Bu Ogu
You can download Nwamara as a zipped file here. Many thanks to my wife Priscilla for translating the titles of the songs.
