[tag]Markus James and the Wassonrai[/tag] performed in [tag]People?s Park[/tag] on June 3, 2006 as part of the [tag]Berkeley World Music Festival[/tag]. I was there, standing in a spot somewhere between the band on stage in front of me and the pickup basketball game on the court behind me. Any curiosity of mine regarding the game disappeared immediately; in fact, I think the ten guys shooting or trying to prevent jump shots from going through the hoop may have been the only ones in the park who were not completely into the music. I did not hear any sounds of the ball hitting either rim or net, dribbling, or soles of shoes on the court. To my ears, the game could not compete with the band.
What I did hear was blues music ? the deep blues, the kind that goes all the way back to the source: Africa; in this case, Mali. James was joined by two Malians and Stephen Kent on didjeridu for a hypnotic and transcendent set of music. It was difficult to look away or do anything other than become one with the sound.
What I did see during the few times I took my eyes away from the stage was a fortysomething man with his hands on a wheelchair. A teenaged boy sat on the chair. The man was pushing the chair in circles, as if dancing with the boy, while the boy looked as happy as humanly possible.
Markus James was kind enough to answer a few questions about his music for Listen & Be Heard. Our e-mail discussion is presented below in its question-and-answer format.
LISTEN & BE HEARD: what do you see as the common ground in blues music and Malian music?
MARKUS JAMES: Mali, the country, is the result of European colonization. In fact, there are several distinct cultural groups in Mali, each with its own musical traditions. I have been collaborating for several years with artists from pentatonic musical traditions: Wassoulou and Sonrai. When you hear the scales, the melodies, and the rhythms, the connection to Blues music is visceral. My hero, Ali Farka Toure, said that the first time he heard John Lee Hooker, he thought he was listening to a Malian musician. When you play Blues or Blues-based music there, the traditional musicians play as if they are playing their own music. And this is because they represent the ancient roots of Blues music. They don’t have what we call Blues music, and we all know that Blues music comes from Mississippi, but when you find yourself playing old-style Blues riffs and rhythms, and you hear traditional musicians playing along beautifully with instruments such as the one-stringed horse-hair violin, the calabash, or the various lutes in the N’Goni family, you don’t need an ethnomusicologist to tell you that there are ancient connections at work.
L&BH: Your music has linked Skip James and Howlin’ Wolf to African music. Their music and yours have very solid rhythmic foundations. Do you think the rhythm is the center of the appeal to African audiences? Are there other aspects?
MJ: In Africa, as most places, it’s always about the groove. One big difference is that Malians hear rhythm as what they call a “cadence,” or a repeating pattern, to which everything conforms, whereas we tend to hear rhythm as a time signature and a beat. So, this is why you hear some western musicians saying they had a hard time finding the “one.” But still, it’s not an issue, and even if you are hearing things differently, the fundamental pulse is so strong that everyone can find their place, and actually come up with some interesting things within their own framework.
L&BH: What music did you grow up hearing?
MJ: My first musical memory, from the age of four, is of an old blind blues singer, on a street corner. I used to hear him on the way to nursery school, and there was a spellbinding magic about him, as if he was in another world.
L&BH: Regarding the shared emphasis on the groove in African and some U.S./European music styles, why do you think there hasn’t really been much attention paid to African music in America except for occasional recordings?
MJ: I think it’s inevitable that African music will continue to gain a larger audience here. It’s natural. Hopefully it will help Americans become more aware of the world outside, and of the value of different cultures.
L&BH: Considering how well Stephen Kent’s didjeridu [Note to readers: a didjeridu is an Australian Aboriginal wind instrument, usually used by most players as a drone or effects source; as played by Kent, however, it becomes the source of a unique style and sound.] fit in with your music at the Berkeley World Music Festival, do you have any plans to add other musicians who play non-African instruments to mix into your band’s sound for future gigs or recordings? Do you play with musicians from different genres or cultures on a regular basis?
MJ: Stephen is the first non-African I’ve played with since many years. I don’t know what it is, but we love playing with him, and people really get into it. I look forward to playing with him more, Insh’Allah.
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