In his sixth and latest album “New African Orleans”, released by ENJA and Yellow Bird, bass guitarist and composer Alune Wade explores the multiple junctions between his native West African rhythms, the Afrobeat and juju rhythms from Lagos and the brass band repertoire immortalized in New Orleans.
“I’m exploring a world that goes from my roots to the lost branches on the other side of the Atlantic,” Wade explains. “The idea first came to me during the Jazz à Gorée festival I organized back in 2014. It had me reflect on the notion of reversing the musical trip most people take from the United States to the African continent. I wanted to set out westward and begin a musical conversation with the best artists, both in Nigeria and the US.”
To achieve this, Wade has invited top artists from both sides of the Atlantic, including the Nigerian talking drummer Olaore Muyiwa Ayandeji, the percussionist Weedie Braimah and the jazz drummer Herlin Riley from New Orleans. The musical inspirations are equally transatlantic, ranging from Dr. John to Manu Dibango and Charlie Parker. But the 45-year-old also pays homage to his father who was a brass band star in his native Senegal back in the Sixties.
Project Documentary
Both a documentary and the story of the album’s creation,“Tukki, From Roots to Bayou” highlights African cultural traditions and their journeys to Louisiana.
The documentary follows Alune Wade’s project to record the album in both West Africa and the United States. Fanfares in Senegal, percussion and brass in Nigeria, and the finalization of the album in New Orleans with local musicians. Each destination will be the point of entry for a musical, historical, and cultural aspect of Jazz. How did brass bands find their way into New Orleans and Fraican culture, when brass bands are European and military? How did African percussion and rhythms find their way into New Orleans Jazz? And more broadly, how did all these African traditions—musical, spiritual, and even culintary—give rise to a new culture in Louisiana that gave birth to Jazz: a unique blend of African, European, and Creole cultures?
The film also features studio performances and interviews with historians, musicians, and music specialists, offering an insight into the history of Jazz and its African origins, as well as how this musical movement is influencing African music today.
Contact Info
Press | France: Miles Yzquierdo, USA: Lea Concialdi, Africa: Aïsha Déme
Label | Enja Records / Yellowbird, W. Aldinger
Discography | Artist Site