Diversity Defines Congolese Music & Dance

When it comes to diversity, there is multi-cultural and there is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The third largest country in Africa, the Congo is home to roughly 69 million people, encompassing several hundred distinct ethnic and tribal groups, perhaps as many as 700. As many as 200 languages are spoken within the country, with French being the official language.

Generalizing about the musical traditions of a country like the Congo is problematic. Each of those 700 ethnic groups has its own cultural traditions — of dance, music, singing, costumes and masks — and while there are similarities and overlap between the traditions, there is much that is unique in each tradition. Suffice it to say that the musical culture of the Congo is incredibly rich, complex and impossible to unravel.

The Wacongo Dance Company, which performs at UD’s Boll Theatre April 7, was founded in 1998 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by Elie Kihonia, a multi-instrumentalist and choir veteran. Wacongo’s repertoire of music, dance and drumming represents some 400 of these traditional groups, including the Luba, Mongo, Kongo, Mbala, Bantu, Pende, Kuba, Mbunda and many more.

Like the Eskimos, who reportedly have no word for “snow,” people in the Congo have no particular name for Congolese music. The closest is “muziki na biso,” which means “our music,” as opposed to foreign music. To people outside of the country, most Congolese music is known as soukous, though technically soukous is just one of the many genres of Congolese music; others include rumba, madiaba and mutuashi.

There’s a remarkably fluid line in the Congo between traditional music and pop music. Even the most pop-oriented music has its traditional elements. Many of the core members of Wacongo have worked with Afro-pop artists, including such artists as Papa Wemba, Koffi Olomide, Kanda Bongo Man, Franco (guitarist Francois Luambo Makiadi), Soukous Stars and Orchestre Afrisa International, the influential band led by soukous pioneer Tabu Ley Rochereau.

This interplay between pop and traditional music has influenced and enriched both styles. It seems unforced in a place where the traditional is never far from the surface, but it was once a matter of state policy.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, the country (then known as Zaire) struggled with President Mobutu’s infamous retour à l’authenticité (return to authenticity) policies. Based on China’s Cultural Revolution, Mobutu’s idea was to renounce all “foreign” influences, purge the country of the last vestiges of its colonial past, re-Africanize Africa and return to some dimly remembered time when everything was better. The policies worked about as well as you’d expect — the Mao-jacket-inspired dress code for public employees went over really well — but traditional music did gain a somewhat higher profile as a result.

The music of the Wacongo Dance Company is high-energy, exciting and woven from many, many strands, both traditional and modern. My advice is to go to the show and open your ears and mind. Don’t try to figure it out. Just enjoy it.

YouTube Spotlight: Eric Alexander

Eric Alexander's glorious, full-blooded hornwork has become one of the signature sounds in jazz. While his dazzling technique creates non-stop thrills on up-tempo material, he knows how to caress a ballad as well. See him in an intimate performance at Gilly's on April 17 he returns to Dayton in a collaboration with the magnificent Cincinnati pianist Steve Schmidt and his trio.

Master of the Telecaster

When people in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky hear the phrase “Master of the Telecaster,” they think of Scotty Anderson. Though not widely known in the rest of the country, Anderson is a phenomenal guitarist who has earned lavish praise from critics and fellow guitarists. Cityfolk is bringing the Scotty Anderson Band back to Canal Street Tavern on Friday, March 26. Last year's concert sold out, so be sure to grab your tickets in advance.

The Cincinnati Enquirer says “Scotty Anderson is a genius...He not only can do it all, he can do it better than just about anybody has ever done it anywhere.” Anderson’s style is described by his record company as “blazing country-bluegrass-jazz,” but his playing also includes elements of blues, rockabilly and rock and roll, all filtered through his masterful Chet Atkins-Merle Travis style of picking. Anderson is legendary among guitarists for his extraordinary technique and musicality, and his versatility on the instrument has made him an in-demand session musician. Despite touring the country as a clinician for Yamaha Guitars in the 198s, Anderson has never been tempted to make the move to Nashville. “I just love [Cincinnati],” he says. “I just don’t think you can beat it. This town is just the perfect blend of community and large city. All my roots are here, all my friends are here.”

YouTube Spotlight: Lunasa

One of my all-time favorite Celtic groups, Lunasa, is returning to the Victoria Theatre on Friday, April 9. They have just released a new album called Lá Nua (Irish for ‘new day’) which means they'll be playing new stuff on stage too. I can't wait!

Clearly I think they've earned their reputation as "the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet" (Irish Voice). If this Irish powerhouse is new to you, then take a listen to this:

Video Spotlight: Wacongo Dance Company

An internationally heralded ensemble of master drummers, musicians and dancers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Wacongo Dance Company brings to the stage the traditional ancestral songs and dances of Central Africa. The company’s breathtaking and visually spectacular performances explore the cultural traditions and vibrant ceremonial costumes of more than 400 African ethnic tribal groups in a high-energy program of singing, stories, mime, drumming and dancing that’s perfect for audiences of all ages. See them at the University of Dayton's Boll Theatre on Wednesday, April 7, in the middle of their week-long residency.



Wacongo Dance Company

Wacongo Dance Company MySpace Music Videos


Wacongo Dance Company

Wacongo Dance Company | MySpace Music Videos

Drums, Fun & All that Jazz Help Reclaim Community Connection

Drums, Fun & All that Jazz is the first Culture Builds Community (CBC) project centered at the Cleveland Neighborhood School Center (NSC), the fifth and last NSC to host a CBC project. “I think Cleveland came last only because we assumed the need for the arts was not as great as in the other NSCs. But we were dead wrong!” says Kelsa Rieger, Community Programs Manager at Cityfolk, “The school has a long tradition with the arts, and still has an incredible music program, but it became clear as soon as we started meeting with the community that there is a great sense of loss surrounding their old School for the Arts being ‘taken away.’ [In 1999, while a new school was being built.] Everyone got really excited about this project.” Kym Beasley, Cleveland NSC site coordinator, said “It feels like the perfect way to breathe new life into the school, and help us reclaim our roots.”

And that is exactly what happened last week at Drums, Fun & All That Jazz , the highlight event of a two-week long residency with premiere visiting artist Matt Wilson and his Quartet and local percussionists Claude Fambrough [pictured at left] and Adam Elfers [drumming in bottom photo]. Students at the new Cleveland NSC built drums with Elfers and Fambrough and learned team work through group rhythm-making techniques. Last Thursday evening they got a chance to show off their new skills during a large community event that combined percussion, group music-making, creativity, and culture.

Over 300 people turned out on that cold February evening. The attendees together with the artists created so much heat inside the school, I thought people were going to forget their coats on the way out. The evening began with a heart-warming home-cooked potluck in the auditeria and drum-making crafts in the gymnasium. Youth and adults were seen testing out their new rhythm makers and trying out the captivating Jumbi Jam steel drums that were on loan at the school from the renowned steel drum company Panyard, Inc.

Once everyone was warmed up, the zany and talented Matt Wilson [pictured here] served as the ring-leader for the remainder of the evening, which turned out to be a circus of eclectic music, drumming and dancing. The program featured The Hands that Beat the Drum, a collective of African-inspired percussionists; the award-winning Cleveland Jazz Band led by Joy Jones; Matt Wilson’s awe-inspiring jazz quartet; and even Chris Erk, a talented local tap dancer who showed up on a whim with tap shoes and board in hand.

The participatory nature of this energy-filled event lifted spirits and created lasting bonds among the diverse attendees from the school and its surrounding community. Everyone was invited to participate in a drum circle led by Wilson, Fambrough and Elfers, while Wilson’s band played a melody over the top. “I feel that the residency with Claude Fambrough and Adam Elfers and the CBC Drums, Fun & All That Jazz was a huge success! Parents and kids are still talking about it!” exclaimed Kym Beasley.

This celebration was planned by local stakeholders as a way to reclaim the school’s role as a place where the arts are practiced and celebrated, and to further the NSC goals of establishing the school as a center of community life. And it was successful in part because the folks in that school get it. They’ve seen what the arts can do, and they rallied around the idea of bringing this residency in and using it as a tool for bringing the students out of their shells, getting their creative juices flowing, and bringing people together in the school after hours.

Support for the concert and educational activities is provided by The Morgan Family Foundation. Drums, Fun & All that Jazz is organized and presented in partnership with the YMCA of Greater Dayton, the Cleveland PK-8 Neighborhood School Center, and the Walnut Hills Neighborhood Association.

See more pictures from this event here.

Matt Wilson Rocks K12 Gallery As Part of Cityfolk Residency

On Saturday, February 27, the K12 Gallery for Young People presented a workshop featuring jazz drummer extraordinaire Matt Wilson and his quartet. While the K12 Gallery Family Art-Making area has been a cornerstone of the Cityfolk Festival, this was the first time the two organizations have collaborated on an event during the season. Wilson--whose penchant for zany, no-holds-barred, fun is matched by his serious chops on the drums--was the ideal musician to head up the activities.

The session started with the young artists creating drawings inspired by the music of the quartet (which included multi-reedist Jeff Lederer, trumpeter Ron Miles and bassist Chris Lightcap). Then one by one, Matt asked the children to hold up their artwork for all to see and the musicians improvised in various combinations, taking their inspiration from the drawings.

Finally the young artists decorated their own percussion instruments and receieved an impromptu primer on the basics of rhythm, joining in to play along with Wilson's quartet.

Special thanks to Jeri Stanard and Kelly Sexton at K-12 and the Morgan Family Foundation for helping make the event a success. You can see more pictures of the event on the K-12 Website.

YouTube Spotlight: Scotty Anderson

Last season's Scotty Anderson performance at Canal Street was a sell-out, so we're bringing you another chance to hear this guitar phenom on Friday, March 26. Country, blues, swing, straight ahead jazz--Anderson and his high flying band play it all. Don't miss the return of this titan of the Telecaster in a perfect setting.

Turn up the sound on your computer and bask in Scotty Anderson's masterful guitar licks:





And here, he describes a little bit about his style: