Louis Sarno was an American musicologist and author who lived for a period of time among a Bayaka Pygmy clan in Central African Republic, and recorded their music.

Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey he went to Africa in 1985 to record the music of a pygmy tribe. He was married to a member of the Bayakan tribe with whom he had two sons.

The film Song from the Forest by Michael Obert tells his extraordinary life story. The film was awarded Best Feature-Length Documentary at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in 2013

Louis Sarno combined recordings of Bayakan music with sounds of their surrounding environment into a two-CD/book package entitled Bayaka: The Extraordinary Music of the BaBenzl Pygmies.

About this Contributor

Given name
Louis
Family name
Sarno
Birth date
1954
Death date
2017
Nationality
American
Contributor type
Artist
Minutes created
BMH #4, Sumbu: Earth Bow, Bayaka: Yeyi, Makuti and Mbonjo: Mondum and Eacute playing&singing, Collection 3 #38, Collection 1 #9, Collection 1 #22

Minutes by Louis Sarno

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