Santa Cruz, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Justine Ketola) - This groundbreaking recording FOR ALL is a collaboration between Vaughn
Benjamin of Midnite, one of reggae's most stimulating lyricists and potent vocalists whose works address the fundamentals of ancient wisdom, Rastafari and the African in the Diaspora and Youssoupha Sidibe, a kora player with a diverse musical palette and member of the mystic Sufi Baay Faal community of Senegal, West Africa.
Released on Youssoupha's Sacred Sounds Record label, the evolution of the project has its origins on the performance stage and ultimately in the individual artists' parallel efforts towards healing and cultural understanding.
The initial idea came about when they met at a performance in Northern California during the fall of 2007. Youssoupha Sidibe performed after Midnite did on the evening's bill. When Youssoupha began to play, the members of Midnite began to participate by vocalizing during the kora performance.??On that same night, Vaughn
Benjamin asked Youssoupha whether he would like to record together and they headed in to the studio.
The two artists then made plans to continue the recording process and Youssoupha traveled to Midnite's home on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Over a period of a month in December in 2007, the tracks for FOR ALL were laid down. What the project signifies is the first instance where African traditional artist and a modern Reggae artist have collaborated on a full-length recording that has been made available to the record buying public. As Youssoupha notes: "I went to St. Croix to bring the tradition back."And the evocative nature of this set of recordings is noted as he recalls, "When I went there, it was making me feel like I am doing something important, I didn't even hesitate, I was thinking that this is my home and these are my people."
As Youssoupha and Vaughn developed their collaboration, the musicians shared a mutual understanding that the vocal style that was being formed around the kora had an authenticity expected of a singer accustomed to singing with the challenging intricacies of the kora. As Youssoupha reflects on the recording process for For All he notes, "It is not easy to sing with the kora, but he didn't have difficulty because he sings like a Fulani. "The kora is a mystical instrument, the sound takes you somewhere."
The recording engineer for this collaboration is Keyronie Allembert, and the songs were recorded at his Make Moves studio. Keyronie played an integral part in the project, contributing to songwriting and arrangements. He has done many recordings and projects with Vaughn over the years. Youssoupha describes the vibes as very strong during the recording process explaining, "We were very excited when we were doing this, it was like we were making history."
Youssoupha contributes chants in addition to kora on the song "Selassie Bring It On" Vaughn sings, "as the culture is reborn" he makes reference to Goree Island, the place known as the point of no return, which was located in Senegal. This is the location where the slaves were held before departure. Youssoupha Sidibe worked as a guide there at Goree Island in his early years, and it was there that the concept evolved in him and his music to become a vehicle for healing, as he saw African-Americans and their emotional reaction to the experience when they would visit as tourists. He realized then that his music could become a source of strength and a way for many to return to the glorious culture of their ancestral past. The song goes on to describe this as Vaughn sings that the music can "bring inspiration, compassion in a musical declaration."
The vocal portion of "Selassie Bring It On" that is chanted by Youssoupha is in the Wolof language of his native Senegal. Here he speaks of tradition calling on the ancestors and it is translated as, "Our tradition, Black people, wherever you are today we are going to praise your ancestors, because our tradition is one, we share it, and we are entitled to it. Today we come to put our hearts together to create an opening. Amazing! Whoever hears this song, will know that we went back to our roots. We brought back the Diaspora with us."
On "Babe Suckling" Vaughn and Youssou remind us to "make a joyful sound, make an upfull noise, as children of the earth." They explore the "tradition of the old days today." and to still find a way to gather and play, and that those from the younger generation know it instinctively, as "four year old know these ways, three-year old knows these ways." These are reminders to us all that "culture makes our brutish heart refined" and that we should be "making some good of all of this called life."
"Jali" takes a more traditional Senegalese kora format and starts with a lengthy intricate solo from Youssoupha while Vaughn calls on the players of instruments and the healing power of music. His message "everybody need" and "everybody bleed" is a call to alleviate "sufferation in imanity (humanity)." And the vocal portion that is performed by Youssou translates as: "God created the Jali as god created the human being and created music, and that is what makes us happy, feeding our souls, and that is what keeps us company. The Jali/griot is the one who is the shepherd or the keeper, he is the one who is cultivating it and it is our tradition, that is why we praise the Jali."
For more information and to listen to songs from the FOR ALL recording please refer to the Yousoupha Sidibe artist My Space profile at myspace.com/youssouphasidibe or the Midnite website, www.midniteband.com. For distribution and retail inquiries please visit ebreggae.com, vireggae.com, midniteband.com, cdbaby.com, or your local retailer.
