The Ireland, Africa, and
New Orleans musical connection1x
For now we will forget about genre, style, and cultural momentum since we will be speaking in a universal tongue . . . the drum.
The first stop in our three continent tour is where we search for an Irish group named " The Celtic Nots." All of their music is well worth the listen, but one track in particular grabbed my attention: "Eamonn's Reel/The Shepherd's Daughter" It begins with a drum. When you listen to it, forget for a moment that you are listening to "Celtic" music, and concentrate on that drum. Later sounds on the track will be stylistically specific, which is necessary for the development of an individual voice, but for those moments when the drum is alone, what does it sound like? It is punctual, resonant and--you guessed it--timeless.
It reminded me of the timeless but modern-sounding rhythms that are on the album "Drums of Passion" by the Nigerian master Babatunde Olatunji. Though these tunes are fresh and inviting to the contemporary ear, they are not new songs, most of them are traditional. This goes to show how deeply indebted Americans (South as well as North) are indebted to African musical ideas.
Olatunji started playing this music seriously when he came to America in the 1950s for college and saw how ignorant most people here were about African culture. He wanted to display his culture's depth and richness, and this and subsequent albums are a great success. My favorite song on the " Drums of Passion" album is called "Kiyakiya (why do you run away?)" There are samples of songs from three or four of his albums available. You know my favorite -- go find yours.
After a good healthy dose of Olatunji and his timelessness, it is nice to take a trip to the Old South and see what people made of the venerable tradition. How's New Orleans for the musical palate? A family by the name of Marsalis seems to have taken New Orleans by storm, starting with the dad Ellis Marsalis, and continuing in the music of his many sons. Jason Marsalis, the baby of the family, made an album called "Year of the Drummer," which combines old New Orleans-style playing with bebop and Latin jazz and a little of his own stuff too. It was released in 1998 when Jason Marsalis was only twenty-one1x
Go to basinstreetrecords and you'll find a list of short samples from some songs on his album. I own the album and my favorite track on it is the first one --but it is not currently available on this Web site. It is called "In The Tradition"; it is Jason on his drum set, making use of traditional New Orleans rhythms (which are direct descendents of Africa, as were the slaves who brought them over and developed them on the sly) as well as studio overdubbing. My other favorite is "Da Homey Dance". Marsalis is a composer as well, and in this track I can hear the mind of a drummer working with notes and arrangements. It's fun. Enjoy1x
By Ted Koch
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