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Band's members are tribal storytellers
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Edmonton Journal, Band's members are tribal storytellers >>
EDMONTON - It's hard to over-estimate the influence of West African streams in world music at large.
You start to sense the significance of Guinea's Bembeya Jazz when you understand that the music comes from a key source of West African tribal tradition, the culture of the Manding people and griot storytellers.
"We're not just influenced by it. We are Manding griot people," explains Mohamed Achken Kaba, trumpeter and chef d'orchestre of the group. Alluding to how their centuries-old legacy has been exported elsewhere, he points out "we had all the rhythms of Afro-Cuban and American Jazz in Guinea to start with."
It's a coup for the folk fest to catch the group on their debut North American tour when fans across Europe have already hailed them as one of the best bands anywhere. All this follows their recent reunion after a hiatus of over 10 years, and the brilliant recording Bembeya, their first album in 14 years (from Marabi/Bros. Distribution).
The group's origins date back some 40 years. When Guinea won its independence from French colonial rule in 1961, the nation's first president set up a kind of ongoing arts grant system to sustain musicians who tapped into the folklore of Guinea's past.
With an age spread from 28 to 68, four of the current 10-member touring band are original members, including co-founder, lead guitarist, singer and arranger Sekou Bembeya Diabate, a.k.a. "Diamond Fingers."
While the use of three electric guitars might seem an obvious departure from tradition, it's actually more of a solution to the problems of travelling.
Back home, acoustic instruments like kora and balafon replace the role of guitars. The rest of the lineup features two vocalists, and players on bass, drums, percussion, trumpet and sax.
The members share certain concerns over West Africa's current social and economic situation but their lyrics tend to focus on traditional themes of everyday life and love songs.
To that end they also feel their music has been left relatively unaffected by global pop culture at large.
Says Kaba: "Our music is not political. It's a cultural expression of sentiment, of feelings from the heart. We represent the music of Guinea. We take pride in our cultural traditions and musicianship and we hope future generations will keep these traditions alive."
Special thanks to Denise Cormier and George Cruz for interview translation. 08/10/03
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