Produced by Rodolfo Stroeter

Recorded at studio Polifonia in Belo Horizonte by Tarso Senra, studio Comep and Teatro Sérgio Cardoso in Sao Paulo by Alberto Ranellucci and Raibow Studio in Oslo, Norway by Jan Erik Kongshaug between November/93 and March/94.

Mixed at Raibow Studio in Oslo, Norway by Jan Erik Kongshaug

Design: Antonio Carlos Werneck (Xó)

The word IHU is from the Kamayurá indigenous language and means all sounds. All. Arising from movement or non-movement, ihu is all that reaches the ear, including the sound of the spirits and the magical entities of the forest.

In Brazil there are still about 200 ethnic groups, each of them with its own form of expression and an endless universe of songs threatened by oblivion. The Indians are part of us and we must know them. We know little about their way of thinking and behaving, we have books about their feather art, baskets, and body paintings. However, their music remains like a “cultural secret”, buried deep within our archetypes.

This CD contains a small part of the Brazilian indigenous musical repertoire collected over two decades of research. The musical concept of “Ihu” made me understand some ways of singing indigenous music. In my interpretation, I tried to be faithful to the timbre, vocal tradition, and phonetics, even knowing that all interpretation is subjective. Similarly, I maintained the original melodic and rhythmic structure, but it is important to note that this is an artistic work, not an ethnographic study.

There are cases where the songs are in archaic, dead languages. The Indians sing them without knowing their meaning, or knowing it partially. That is the case of the songs “Awina / Ijain Je E’” and the final part of “Yny Maj Hyrynh / Eu Canto a Vocês”, which seem to have been passed down from father to son during an incalculable number of years.

After years of efforts, experiences, arrangements, withdrawals, presentations, and consultations, the final repertoire was selected from about sixty hours of original recordings and other sources as well.

Although “Ihu” has much of me, my efforts, my determination, my imperfections, my soul, this album is not mine. It belongs to the Indians.

Marlui Miranda