Bringing Stories to Life Through Music

I had no intention of creating a recording of African music. I was in the middle of trying to finish my CD when Kibochi came to me for guitar lessons. Six months after we started, he began bringing me lyrics for a song he had in mind about the holiday Kwanza. King Sunny Ade and His African Beats was my first connection to music from the motherland. Check out “Synchro System” for a joyful jamming good time. Paul Simon’s record “Graceland” with Ladysmith Black Mambozo was also influential in crafting the sound for this record. Playing with musicians from West Africa (The African Blue Notes) and South Africa (The Pipes, Blondie Chaplin, Keith Lentin, and Anton Fig) was educational and electrifying. I’d never spoken a word of African before I met Kibochi, but the beauty of Kikuyu, Luo and Swahili dialects made the learning a lot of fun. That’s me (born in the U.S.A), you hear on 90% of the vocals. You can listen to Kahoro’s distinct vocals on the spoken words chants and some choruses.

These recordings are like abstract musical paintings to me. I’m creating soundscapes of rhythms, chants, harmonies, and improvisation from a blank canvas to create music that traverses the language barrier. I don’t know where the songs are going. Each one is its adventure. When I listen back to this music, it’s almost like listening to the music of a stranger. I’m still discovering who that someone is.