Jaaleekaay finish their album tour with a very special show at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. Steve Berry had a chat with The Echo about what’s in store.
Steve, what does Jaaleekaay mean?
Jaaleekaay means ‘crossing point’ in the Wolof language of West Africa. Essentially it’s an intersection, a meeting of different paths.
How does that suit your unique collaboration of artists and the music that you make?
For me it’s the perfect name for this project. When I first travelled to The Gambia it was very obvious I was from somewhere else; I stood out in a crowd you could say! But with my guitar in my hand there was an immediate connection with the people there – whether they were musicians, kids or just people in the street. Music was the place we met and the place where we shared culture, even though we came from very different starting points. It was the same when I met Amadou and Yusupha – it was the music that immediately came alive and brought us together, and in that music as it came out we all felt the potential of how it could keep playing that role and introduce all of us to adventures that would be impossible without it. That’s the place where our paths cross and our commonalities can be felt the strongest.
When did you develop your passion for African music? How did it change your trajectory musically or the way you wanted to play?
I’ve always loved African music and music that has African influence at its heart, which is just about every style you could name by the way! I loved listening to Fela Kuti and his Afro Beat sounds back in the 80s, and Cuban music too – which has African rhythms all through it. But I was living in the US back then and so was exposed to all sorts of fantastic music, including bluegrass, jazz and even the British prog rockers such as Yes and King Crimson. A deep groove has always been part of what really turns me on musically, and African music has that at its core. Fela Kuti’s bands would sit on one riff and groove for 20 minutes, and that would just be the introduction! So if the music feels good in its rhythmic core it will grab me, and no doubt African influence plays a big part in that. In terms of the music I make myself, finding my own sound has always been about playing what I liked, which, as it should be for everyone, represents a unique combination of styles and influences. When mixed together by default that produces a unique sound and style in one’s own music as well. So no doubt some African influence will come out no matter what I’m doing – even if I’m playing country music!
How did Jaaleekaay come to be?
I was lucky enough to be invited to visit The Gambia by a traditional percussionist named King Marong, who now lives in Australia. King had been working with me out in the desert doing music education work, and he told me that in The Gambia there were no music schools where local musicians could learn how to connect their traditions with western styles and therefore increase their potential as artists in the wider world. So I grabbed the opportunity to visit The Gambia when King was there and as a result I landed in a community of musicians and met loads of great players. I met the kora player Amadou Suso when I went along to a rehearsal for a traditional cultural performance. I had my guitar with me so we were able to have a quick jam afterwards. There was an immediate spark and that led to getting together to write and record a composition, but I was keen to have vocals as well so Amadou introduced me to Yusupha Ngum and Yus brought the music to a really special place. From there we were lucky enough to get some support from festivals in Australia such as the Mullum Music Festival, and that led to our first tour in 2013. So it’s more than two years later now and and that’s a long time between drinks but it’s great to be here and playing in Mullum again this time around!
You have taken Jaaleekaay outback to remote Central Australia. How was that experience – what happened?
As part of my work with Music Outback, I made sure that while touring we took the opportunity to visit some remote schools and communities in the NT and far north South Australia, and it was great to see Yus and Amadou connecting with the local mob out there. There was a lot of inspiration value for our Indigenous friends, who loved seeing these strong young musicians from Africa following their creative dreams while staying connected to their culture. We worked with kids and local musicians, performed and took part in songwriting workshops as part of the Music Outback program. It was also great to go bush with elders and share stories out on country – a real highlight.
What did you want to achieve with this album?
I just wanted to capture the definitive article of what Jaaleekaay’s music can be – and that music really felt like it was coming together by the end of our first tour. So we struck while the iron was hot, and the good news is I feel like I’ve achieved that goal; the music has really come alive in the recording. Bringing in some special guests certainly helped too, such as Greg Sheehan on Cajon and Tim Bennett on bass. I’m also really happy that Cleis Pearce makes an appearance on viola, and Matt Ledgar is there on percussion as well. So producing something that is truly representative of the quality of the group’s musicianship was important to me, and I think I achieved that, so I’m happy!
How did you set about writing and recording?
Writing was all about playing together, improvising – and finding the moments that excited us. We then set out to develop those moments into compositions that could excite us every time we played them. That process started in Germany, where we were able to get together after my trip to Africa, and though we only had six days, in that time we were able to discover the core of Jaaleekaay’s sound. Once we were in Australia and playing festivals we could really consolidate the music, and all that playing paid its dividends when we eventually recorded the album. The recordings happened for the most part here in Byron, but we recorded some of it while out in the desert too, which felt great to do.
What should people expect for your show at Mullum Civic Hall?
It will be like a homecoming gig for us. It’s where we first played in Australia so it has that special significance as a venue. The music has really been firing so far this tour, and we’ve just come off some great shows at festivals down south, so people can expect the definitive article with lots of passion and fire. These guys are really phenomenal musicians and put their heart and soul into every note they play, so I’m really looking forward to sharing that with our home crowd!
Jaaleekaay Album Launch Show, Saturday at Mullumbimby Civic Hall Seated & standing event, doors: 7pm, show starts: 8pm. Tickets at redsquaremusic.com.au
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