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3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great Document of Sahel Music- but no narrationJun 29, 2006
By D. McDavitt
"dsmcdavi"
Music documentary of great interest to African music fans.
Shot on location in Niger (Sahel region) by Hisham Miyet. Showcases diverse musical styles: Tuareg electric guitar rock, Sahel Afropop, Bori cult dance ceremonies, Fulani folk, roadhouse highlife-gospel, godje fiddle, griot ngoni/tama/vox/clapping, cowry shell divination, oil drum Zidga ceremony, children impromtu dancing...
The video quality is a bit amaturish- with the feel of an ethnomusiclogists' field recording- but I found it quite compelling.70 minutes.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 2,400 miles of savannahAug 16, 2007
By almosthappy
For my recently developed and seemingly insatiable appetite for authentic Northern and Western African music, this 70-minute jam-packed DVD is truly a satisfying fix of sensory overdose. Yes, the DVD itself is rudimentary in term of features: only options on the main menu are "play" and "chapters", no narrations, no subtitles, dusty video camera lens(literally), minimal editing...Jams on strangely beautiful indigenous instruments, electrified-Tuareg rocks/blues, shamanistic divination, cult dance, and even random impromptu performance by local children are juxtaposed in a seemingly haphazard manner, with no introductions, no explanations. This up-close and purely observing perspective is a bit voyeuristic. But strangely, everything comes together nicely. The DVD feels like road trip - drifting aimlessly along the Sahel region of Africa. The sights and the sounds are so alien and so beautiful to an Asian guy growing up in the Americas, my eyes, my ears, and my brain just want to absorb them all directly, without the distractions of some stuffy old white ethnomusicologists yapping non-stop. The Sahel region is a beautiful and romantic place: its music is both atavistic and highly complex and evolved. Many of its people, according to the brief DVD insert, have resisted both the Islamic and Christian encroachments for hundreds of years (kudos to that!). Yet it is evident that all these influxes of different cultures have left their marks in the music that are featured on the DVD. But there is a strong sense of history, time, culture, and identity ingrained in the music. It is quite fascinating to reflect upon the country's tragic history and all its present-day woes while listening to all these soul-stirring music. One cannot help but feel the power of art and music, and how they are so effective as a medium to accurately record a culture, people, and history. This is definitely one of the best DVDs I have purchased this year. Recommended!
 A musical look at a little known part of AfricaSep 05, 2008
By The Delite Rancher
The Republic of N-i-g-e-r may be one of the world's poorest countries, but it is rich with music. (I spell the name of the country with dashes since Amazon often filters out reviews that use the n-word.) "Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel" is an ethnomusicologist's dream. This is a DVD experience with benefits and drawbacks. In terms of the benefits, there's really no peer. Compared to what's out there, "Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel" is precious for offering such a genuine look into N-i-g-e-r. Filmed in 2004, music and dance is the focus. Most of the screen time shows drumming and dancing in a wide variety of situations. For example, there is a balance of music with and without vocals. More over, individuals and groups play traditional music using indigenous lutes, violins and various drums. A featured street festival shows a lively community event. At this event, drummers strike half shell calabash gourds with what appear to be large wooden picks. The pitch changing talking drum is usually present. At another point, a song is played at a Pentacostal Church. The most fun may happen at the end, when popular music is performed. Ouragan Del Air and Groupe Inerane play electric music. Their music will resonate with listeners of Desert Blues performers such as Ali Farka Toure. The final piece is a mystical jam that is the most sublime piece of music in the program. While the focus of "Ecstasy in the Sahel" may be music, there's more. Hisham Mayet filmed the connective tissue of the community. At one point, we go for a boat ride on the river that inspired the name of the country. The audience sees women washing in the river and livestock markets that include camels. Mayet's photography took a certain amount of awkward courage since people from this part of the world don't always appreciate having their picture taken. At another point, we experience a cowrie shell divining. While the qualities of this program have been well documented, there are drawbacks. The camera work seems to have been shot with an amateur hand held unit. The audio is surprisingly good considering the absence of boom microphones. In addition, the main menu is difficult to read. Beyond this, there doesn't seem to be a sequence and there is no narration. If the goal is to bridge a cultural gap between the Westerner viewer and a Nigerien subject, a narration would have been incredibly beneficial. What's the name of the dance we're watching? What is the function of this event? What are those instruments, who plays them and why? Without such production, this feels a bit like footage shot on somebody's vacation. By this point, there's a sea of similar minded African DVDs available and as "Drums and Djembes of Burkina Faso" demonstrates, they can be done very well, regardless of their shoe-string budgets. For the educational institutions that may acquire this unrated DVD, there are scenes of very brief female nudity. Given the puritanical nature of American elementary and secondary schools, this may disqualify the product from being shown in its entirety. When all is said and done, "Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel" is a rare and genuine look into a little known part of the world. At the same time, Hisham Mayet left the door open for a more polished experience.
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