Here, I play again a song of his which stands out for me in various ways, and which brings back a certain feeling of fondness -- and a fondness of feeling, as well. We didn't interpret the songs, because the language of the lyrics was something hopelessly beyond us. We plainly savored whatever we considered the best -- as more than a handful were then, and are even now.
This Echantillon Ya Pamba [I translate that loosely, armed only with a poetic licence, as "This fine, this caressing, this enchanting bouquet of finest cotton"] -- this 7:29-minute affair -- starts slowly and in a somewhat nondescript fashion. We did come to discover with keen listening over time that this was typical 'scripture' there, in the "Lungs of the Earth".
We got to realize that a pick-up in pace and passion almost invariably materialized, sort of out of a predictable blue. There was, thus, nearly always a validation of the faith we had in, shall we say, the ingenuity and even genius of our heroes. A validation of the most melodious kind, if I may say so.
And, thus, "Sikiya namuna gitaa iko na liya" -- initiated by one balladeer -- became an ever-ready 'rallying-call'. Let me loosely translate that quaint Swahili line this way: "Hey, listen to the fancy stringplay, by the guitarist!" But we did know that the trumpeter had his vital role, too; as did the saxophonist and the percussionist. What we had, indeed, was a 'full' Orchestre -- or Jazz. Or both! In the best of songs, as in Echantillon, a tumult of sound and passion.
Click here to listen to the Audio
[And now re-start a third of the way into Echantillon, and take in all those measured doses of lilting magic!]
I'd like to say this:
"The air that hangs over
The Band is highly charged
Air, and so is that which
Sur-rounds all its sides."
We got to realize that a pick-up in pace and passion almost invariably materialized, sort of out of a predictable blue. There was, thus, nearly always a validation of the faith we had in, shall we say, the ingenuity and even genius of our heroes. A validation of the most melodious kind, if I may say so.
And, thus, "Sikiya namuna gitaa iko na liya" -- initiated by one balladeer -- became an ever-ready 'rallying-call'. Let me loosely translate that quaint Swahili line this way: "Hey, listen to the fancy stringplay, by the guitarist!" But we did know that the trumpeter had his vital role, too; as did the saxophonist and the percussionist. What we had, indeed, was a 'full' Orchestre -- or Jazz. Or both! In the best of songs, as in Echantillon, a tumult of sound and passion.
Click here to listen to the Audio
[And now re-start a third of the way into Echantillon, and take in all those measured doses of lilting magic!]
I'd like to say this:
"The air that hangs over
The Band is highly charged
Air, and so is that which
Sur-rounds all its sides."
