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CULTURE | Senegal: African Music Fusion with Kenny Barron & Mike del Ferro at the Saint Louis Jazz Festival

July 2011  |  By Nanzia Rhona-Mgaba

 

At the 2011 Saint-Louis Jazz festival this June in Senegal, West Africa, I discovered an array of eclectic music fusions. Contemporary jazz integrated with ethnic and traditional West African sounds. The classical piano is played with the Kora, a traditional west-African harp. Mike del Ferro, the classical pianist jams with Malouma, a Mauritanian folk singer.

 

Sonja Kandels, the German singer mesmerizes the audience with her voice, singing songs in dialects from Senegal and Cameroon. Kenny Barron, the jazz hero, astounds listeners at the festival’s climax. Outside the event, Oumar Ly‘s black and white portraits of West African characters spice walls of the old town.

 

During the Jazz festival, Saint Louis transforms into the capital of the world, making it easy to forget that you’re in Senegal. I met with tourists, expats working in the capital and travelers visiting from all over the world to participate in the music festivities, some as part of the performing bands, others as fans who appreciate the music or who come just for the vibe and rhythm.

 

The streets by day are calm and peaceful. The ramshackle side bars and cafes are almost unrecognizable once night falls when they unleash their secret explosion of musical talent and cultural fusion. At dark, the streets are lined with street food vendors, coffee carts, and street parties that result when crowds spill out of little bars where dancing to jam sessions between local and international bands continues until morning.

 

As a correspondent for HELO Magazine at the festival, I caught up with one of the performers, classical Dutch pianist Mike del Ferro after his musical collaboration with Mauritanian Folk singer Malouma.

 

“I love to do these fusions,” Ferro told me. “My first aim is to share my love for music with the world. I don’t see the world just being in Europe or in America. There’s much more in the world than that and I’ve been blessed with the opportunity of being exposed to this beautiful music all over the planet, and I wanted to do something with that.

 

“You don’t need to speak the language…As long as you understand each other musically it just works. That’s the wonderful thing.”

 

Ferro had wisdom to share about Senegal’s festival.

 

“You know, the only thing that does not amaze me anymore,” Ferro told me, “is that I’m going to be amazed everywhere. Here in Saint-Louis, I walked into some small bar downtown and it was just incredible music.”

 

Finally, I spoke with jazz pianist Kenny Barron who’s shared the stage with legends from Dizzy Gilespie to Stan Getz and whose recordings have earned him nine Grammy nominations, right after his riveting performance on stage.

 

“I’m really enjoying myself,” Kenny said. “It’s a great place, great people, and a good atmosphere. There is something about being here that reminds me of Harlem.”

 

“It’s just the rhythm. I mean, when you go uptown to Harlem it’s just so much the same, it makes me feel at ease.”

 

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