Note: Many CDs listed here were recorded and produced by independent artists and are distributed by small, independent record labels. If you like an artist's work (music or pictures) enough to want your own personal copy, you should have enough respect for the artist to buy your copy instead of pirating it. Royalties from your purchase enable an independent artist to survive and make more art.
This is a list of CDs that, in my opinion, provide good examples of didgeridoo in contemporary and traditional music. CDs are listed in four categories: Contemporary compositions by non-Aboriginal players, contemporary compositions by Aboriginal players, traditional didgeridoo music & songs, and "one-track wonders".
CDs are listed alphabetically by title in each category.
Click a CD's title for a brief, personal review of the CD.
Click entries in the Label column for more information about the CD's label/distributor, including a link to the distributor's web site.
To add your favorite didgeridoo CD to this list, send an e-mail with the the CD title, performing artist or group, and the name of the label publishing the CD.
Contemporary Didgeridoo
These artists & groups feature didgeridoo in a virtuoso contemporary style, combined with contemporary instruments.
| CD Title | Artist/Group | Label | Released | Catalog # |
| A Day Out of Time | Trance Mission | City of Tribes Records | 1999 | COTCD-022 |
| Dance the Devil Away | Outback | Rykodisc | 1991 | HNCD 1369 |
| Didgeridoo Meditations | Inlakesh | Bula Music | ||
| Family Tree | Stephen Kent | City of Tribes Records | 1997 | COTCD-016 |
| Head Light | Trance Mission | City of Tribes Records | 1996 | COTCD-011 |
| Landing | Stephen Kent | City of Tribes Records | 1994 | COTCD-003 |
| Meanwhile | Trance Mission | City of Tribes Records | 1994 | COTCD-005 |
| Ranarop: Call of the Sea Witch | Gjallerhorn | Finlandia Records, Warner Music Finland | 1997 | FINLANDIA 0630-19627-2 |
| Trance Mission | Trance Mission | City of Tribes Records | COTCD-002 |
Contemporary Didgeridoo, Aboriginal artists
These are Australian indigenous artists playing virtuoso didgeridoo; the music on these CDs mixes contemporary instruments and styles with traditional.
| CD Title | Artist/Group | Label | Released | Catalog # |
| Bloodwood: Art of the Didjeridu | Alan Dargin and Michael Atherton | Natural Symphonies (Small World Music, Inc.) | 1993 | NS 331 |
| Dawn Until Dusk: Tribal Song and Didgeridoo | Adam Plack, Johnny (White Ant) Soames, William Brady & Luke Cummins | Australian Music International | 1992 | AMI 3003-2 |
| Winds of Warning | Adam Plack and Johnny (White Ant) Soames | Australian Music International | 1993 | AMI 2002-2 |
Traditional Didgeridoo
These CDs feature traditional didgeridoo and vocal music performed by indigenous Australian artists and clan groups.
| CD Title | Artist/Group | Label | Released | Catalog # |
| Authentic Aboriginal Music | The Wandjina People | ARC Music Int. | 1995 | EUCD 1341 |
| Bunggridj-bunggridj: Wangga Songs | Alan Maralung | Smithsonian Folkways | 1993 | CD SF 40430 |
Contemporary Didgeridoo, One-track wonders
These CDs don't feature didgeridoo, but have at least one track that represents the didgeridoo's flexibility when applied to a variety of musical styles.
| CD Title | Didgeridoo Track(s) | Artist/Group | Label | Released | Catalog # |
| Freedom Sound | 4: Freedom Sound | Poncho Sanchez | Concord Records | 1997 | CCD 4778-2 |
| New Beginning | 2: New Beginning | Tracy Chapman | Elektra Records | 1995 | 61850-2 |
| One Way | 13: In My Time of Dying | Isaiah Singer & The 7th Word | Worm's Eye Music | 2000 | |
| Spiritchaser | 2: Song of the Stars | Dead Can Dance | 4 A D | 1996 | 9 46230-2 |
CD Reviews
(All reviews by Matthew Harris.)
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All Trance Mission and Stephen Kent CDs Stephen Kent is absolutely the best non-aboriginal didgeridoo player I've ever heard. Mr. Kent sets the bar for my own playing aspirations. The other musicians of the Trance Mission ensemble - Beth Custer (clarinets), Eda Maxym (vocals), Kenneth Newby (winds, digital atmospherics), John Loose (percussion), and Peter Valsamis (percussion) - are also extremely good at what they do. I highly recommend any of these CDs, but especially Meanwhile and A Day Out of Time. |
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Dance the Devil Away, Outback Graham Wiggins is the didgeridoo player for Outback. In this CD, Outback combines the didgeridoo with a variety of West African and Moroccan drums, as well as European melody instruments (guitar, mandolin, melodica). The Outback music is energetic and tasty, and makes good use of the didgeridoo's potential. |
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Didgeridoo Meditations, Inlakesh This CD is best listened to as its title suggests: as background music for meditation or just to supply soothing background sound. Although solidly played, this CD doesn't have much in the way of fireworks. |
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Ranarop: Call of the Sea Witch, Gjallerhorn This music is one of the most interesting and successful uses of the didgeridoo mingled with European melody instruments that I have ever heard, but seems one of the most unlikely. Gjallerhorn is a Finnish group that uses instruments from around the globe to perform traditional Finnish folk songs. There's didgeridoo, hand drums, fiddle, mandolin, and soprano vocals. The group's didgeridoo player and percussionist, Jakob Frankenhaeuser, manages to play both the didgeridoo and hand drums simultaneously. |
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Bloodwood: Art of the Didjeridu, Alan Dargin and Michael Atherton Alan Dargin is an energetic and extremely skilled Australian didgeridoo player; Michael Atherton is an American guitarist and composer. The guy who first taught me how to play didgeridoo initially recommended this CD to me as an example of utterly the best didgeridoo playing, and I recommend it with similar enthusiasm. |
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Dawn Until Dusk: Tribal Song and Didgeridoo, Adam Plack, Johnny (White Ant) Soames, William Brady & Luke Cummins This is one of my favorites. Exclusively didgeridoo, clapsticks, and voice, this is a collection of contemporary didgeridoo nature studies (totems), plus several traditional songs. |
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Winds of Warning, Adam Plack and Johnny (White Ant) Soames Adam Plack and Johnny Soames have appeared on NPR and are a couple of the better-known Aboriginal Australian didgeridoo players, for good reason. This CD is another one of my favorites. The didgeridoo totems on this CD are lightly flavored with keyboards, guitar, and voice. |
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Authentic Aboriginal Music, The Wandjina People I like this recording a lot. A collection of clan songs from several categories, performed by the Wandjina clan's own singers and performers. This CD includes several women's songs, and a couple of songs sung by both men and women; both of these song categories are rare in the collections of traditional Aboriginal Australian music which I have been able to find so far. |
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Bunggridj-bunggridj: Wangga Songs, Alan Maralung I like this recording, but the sound quality isn't really great - apparently a lot of it was recorded outdoors with portable equipment. Alan Maralung is a singer, and is the primary focus of this recording. The recording and liner notes are part of an academic study of the songs and music style. Wangga is a type of personally-owned song which may be sung in public. Wangga songs are given to a singer by spirit beings; this CD contains a few of the songs given to Alan Maralung by Bunggridj-bunggridj. |
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Freedom Sound, Poncho Sanchez Track 4 of this CD, Freedom Sound (the title track) is one of the better inclusions of didgeridoo in a sound not usually associated with didgeridoo -- Latin salsa/jazz. This track uses the didgeridoo's potential better than most. |
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New Beginning, Tracy Chapman Track 2 of this CD, New Beginning (the title track), uses the didgeridoo to provide a rhythm line for the song's intro, and then blends in to become part of the song's rhythmic texture. No fancy work, just a good basic drone. |
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One Way, Isaiah Singer & The 7th Word Track 13 of this folk music CD, In My Time of Dying, mixes a didgeridoo in to support a harmonica and vocals. If you've ever wondered what blues didgeridoo sounds like, grab a copy of this CD and tune in to Track 13. Matthew Harris, this site's author, is the didgeridoo player on this cut. |
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Spiritchaser, Dead Can Dance In general, I like Dead Can Dance, and this CD is one of my favorites. There's no credit on the CD notes for didgeridoo playing, but I'm utterly convinced that Track 2, Song of the Stars, on this CD starts out with a didgeridoo. The didgeridoo doesn't do anything fancy here, just a low steady drone, but the song is skillfully textured around the drone. |
Record Label Contact Information
All mailing address and telephone information presented here was obtained from the printed material accompanying the CDs listed on this page. Most of the listed web addresses were not provided on the CD, but were researched by the author. All of the web addresses listed here were valid at the time this page was last reviewed (1/5/2010).
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4 A D www.4ad.com
P.O. Box 461599 |
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ARC Music Intl. www.arcmusic.co.uk
P. O. Box 111 |
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Australian Music International [no web address found]
In Australia:
In the United States: |
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Bula Music www.inlakesh.com
Inlakesh/Bula Music |
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City of Tribes Records www.cot.com
3025 17th Street |
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Concord Records www.concordrecords.com
P.O. Box 845 |
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Elektra Records www.elektra.com
Elektra Entertainment Group, a division of Warner Communications, Inc.
Elektra Entertainment Group, a division of Warner Communications, Inc. |
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Finlandia Records, Warner Music Finland www.warnerclassics.com Note: This link goes to the Warner Bros. web site that lists all of the classic/folk-oriented foreign labels owned by Warner Bros. The Ranarop CD is part of the Innovator Series on the Finlandia Records label.
Distributed worldwide by Warner Music affiliates; or order direct from: |
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Rykodisc www.rykodisc.com Note: Rykodisc was purchased by Warner Music Group in May of 2006.
Rykodisc USA |
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Small World Music, Inc. [no web address found]
Small World Music, Inc. |
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Smithsonian Folkways www.folkways.si.edu and www.si.edu Note: The first link goes directly to the Smithsonian Folkways recording pages where you can order the CD. The second link goes to the general Smithsonian Institute web page.
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings |
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Worm's Eye Music www.seventhword.com |
All text & photographs © 2002-2012 by Matthew Harris
