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Chicago Tribune, Concert Preview, Interview >>
Brass band uses music to promote traditional culture
By Aaron Cohen
Special to the Tribune October 16, 2005
The idea stretches back to the origins of jazz: a wildly syncopated marching band that launches several excited conversations at once while keeping dancers on their feet. Ten men from Benin are blending this venerated sound with sources that are even more distant.
For the members of the Gangbe Brass Band, scheduled to perform Wednesday at HotHouse, jazz has served as a musical ideal and way of forging bonds outside their country. At the same time, they use this largely American art to highlight the older rhythms, languages and songs of Benin's small yet diverse population.
"We played jazz when we began the band and then found our own style," says Gangbe trumpeter Athanase Dehoumon during a European tour. "It was easier to find our originality playing a mix between jazz and traditional music. For us to bring the jazz influence into the traditional music, it gave us a lot of opportunities."
While such instruments as the trumpet and trombone did not originate in Africa, they've been played on the continent for more than a century. The French, who colonized Benin (then called Dahomey) in the late 1800s, came with their military bands. Eventually, they recruited Beninese soldiers who learned the music. Missionaries from Europe and America also brought their instruments with them. It was at church services where Dehoumon and other members of Gangbe (which means "metal sound") first heard the brass that they would adopt for themselves.
Learned different styles
From the church, the musicians began playing at traditional gatherings, such as weddings, while also performing in Beninese hotels. As Dehoumon says, these jobs required them to learn how to play all kinds of styles to please different patrons. This was not easy in a country with limited resources.
"In Benin there are no schools to learn music," Dehoumon says. "So we listened to music again and again to try to understand how it works and how to reproduce it."
Dehoumon's favorite music at the time was jazz, which the group heard mainly through recordings. Even today the group frequently quotes from standards such as "Night Train." As Gangbe came together around 1994, he found that other musicians, such as euphonium player James Vodounnon, appreciated the discipline it takes to learn that idiom.
"When I played jazz," Vodounnon says, "I understood music more."
Shortly after forming the group, the members saw New Orleans' Rebirth Brass Band that was touring Africa. Even though the ensembles share an affinity for boisterous horns, Dehoumon says what really struck him was the lively way his American counterparts explored their national music's origins.
"It was like evidence to say, `We really need to keep our roots!'"
"Roots" is the English translation of the title of Gangbe's recent disc, "Whendo" (World Village). Although Benin's population is only about 7.4 million, it has a mixture of ethnic groups, including Fon, Gun and Yoruba. The members write songs in these languages and play the percussive instruments and rhythms that represent these groups. They also transpose the combination of polytonal drums, bells and whistles from traditional Fon music to the horns.
"Each member can bring his own roots, his own culture, from his village," Dehoumon says. "And that's really important for the band."
This idealism mirrors larger changes in Benin, according to Dehoumon. Since 1989, the nation has moved toward democracy, which is especially remarkable considering its tumultuous region. Equally significant is that the trumpeter says his group makes its choices on music, costumes, and choreography collectively.
"Of course, a band needs somebody to make the large decisions," Dehoumon says. "But it's important for each musician to express his feelings, ideas."
Another source of Gangbe's music is West African vodun (a.k.a. "voodoo"). Still, it took some negotiating before the group could use it.
"We went to some villages in Benin to ask the vodun priests to use some rhythms and instruments because some are too religious," Dehoumon says. "So we wanted to ask permission if it was completely OK."
Building an audience
Receiving the approval of vodun priests was one thing.
Building an audience was harder at first, according to the group's manager and producer, Genevieve Bruyndonckx (who also served as this interview's translator). Especially because the group, now ages 26 to 45, was between influential generations.
"For the old people, it was difficult to accept that it's not completely traditional, Bruyndonckx says. "For the young people, it was a little bit too traditional."
Over time, Gangbe gained a following in Benin, and this expanded to international touring opportunities, including a visit to Chicago for the World Music Festival in 2002. Knowing that it has become more prominent, the group's lyrics call for peace ("Awan-Ho") and rewarding good deeds ("Yemonoho").
"It's important to share these messages to the people," Dehoumon says. "So that's why we're speaking about daily lives, problems and use all the languages to share those messages to all of the people in Benin."
Nor would it be unheard of for other Beninese musicians to make an even bigger impact on the worldwide stage. One of the best-known African musicians among global listeners is the Beninese pop singer Anjelique Kidjo. But she has not lived in the country for several years, and the members of Gangbe say that while they benefit from their increasing worldwide contacts, it is crucial for them to remain close to where they started.
"Our roots are in Benin, and we want to show the youth that they can go outside the country," Dehoumon says. "But, please, come home."
Gangbe Brass Band will perform at HotHouse, 31 E. Balbo, at 8:30 Wednesday. Admission: $15. Phone: 312-362-9707. 10/16/05 >> go there
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