The Young Bird singers are 12 Native Americans who have produced a CD lasting some 30-odd minutes. It resonates with the rich, energetic sound of the pow-wow. This is not really music just to listen to: it encourages action, be it dancing or just chanting along with the singers.

This is my first encounter with Native American pow-wow music, and I found it interesting and enjoyable, but not something I will be playing a lot. As traditional music, it deserves to be retained, maintained and kept fresh by such as Curtis Hamilton-Young Bird, who wrote all but one of the 10 songs on the album, and this is a way of spreading the knowledge of this musical form and expanding the frontiers.

Maybe when I have something to celebrate, I will whack up the volume and kick up my heels around the barbecue!

- Rambles
written by Jenny Ivor
published 19 June 2004