Youssou N’Dour plays reggae

Homage to Bob Marley

Paris 

12/03/2010 - 

With his latest album Dakar-Kingston, king of mbalax Youssou N’Dour has nailed his colours to the reggae mast for this homage to Bob Marley, working with Tyrone Downie at the legendary Tuff Gong studios. As Africa celebrates a half century since independence, Youssou N’Dour says that reggae could become part of the soundtrack of Africa unity.

RFI Musique: Why did you decide to do a reggae album?
Youssou N'Dour: Like a lot of Africans, I grew up with reggae, even if it’s not associated with me. I never met Bob Marley or saw him live, but I’ve always listened to his albums, I believe in what he said and loved the way he said it. Basically, I’m a fan! And my good friend  Gaston Madeira has been on at me over the past 15 years to do some reggae. So the idea had been percolating in my mind, until the celebration this year of the 50th anniversary of independence in Africa. As part of the celebrations, the Festival des Arts Nègres, in Dakar, wanted to pay homage to Marley. So I jumped at the chance…

Is Bob Marley an important figure for African emancipation?
He was the first international star from the third world. His message and his background very much resonates with the African diaspora. For me, paying homage to Marley is a way of showing young people that the world is being built by blacks, whites, people of mixed blood, everyone! And to celebrate 50 years of African independence, it seemed important to me to honour people of African origin who have marked history.

For you, is there a special link between Africa and reggae?
Of course! When Africans were sold into slavery they took with them their rhythms and melodies. Why do you think we love music from places like Cuba and Brazil? Because it’s part of us! Following the footsteps of our ancestors is about getting in touch with sounds originating from ourselves. In Africa, young people listen to reggae all the time! It’s like a link between us and our ancestors. At the same time, reggae is universal. It’s a symbol of the way conscience has been globalised.

The album was coproduced with the legendary Tyrone Downie (keyboard player for Bob Marley who has also worked with Peter Tosh and Tiken Jah Fakoly) How did that come about?
Gaston tracked down Tyrone, who has followed my career and was quite keen to work with me! He’s become a friend, almost an older brother figure for the group. My musicians loved working with him, playing and laughing with their hero! The intensity of the experience brings a real energy to our performance on stage.

With Tyrone Downie, you decided to record the album at Marley’s legendary Tuff Gong studio in Kingston…
We couldn’t pay homage to Marley without going there, out of respect, and for the feeling and emotions of the place. In the studios, people are always talking about him. They’re surrounded by objects he adored or members of his family. You understand so many things about his music! You know the boss is still there, you can feel it.

It was your first trip to Jamaica. How did you feel about it?
In terms of lifestyle, Jamaica is like Africa, for example the cuisine, spicy like ours. There’s an energy that seems both close to us and also far away. It’s an island, a land apart. You see the poverty, but also the smiles of a proud people, who have always battled for what they need. There are a lot of exceptional people there who have lived through difficult times, but they are fantastic performers. When I see Jamaicans run and play sport, I know that their skills have developed out of hardship. And when I hear reggae, I can feel the pain behind the joy, the weight of rebellion and history behind each note.

Among the tracks on this album, you take on some of your classics (Medina, Don’t walk away). How did you manage the translation from mbalax to reggae ?
I wanted the songs to be as close as possible to the originals, totally recognisable from beginning to end. If you want a mbalax player to play reggae, he needs to input 50 percent less energy but 100 percent more rigor. Mbalax is a complex and sophisticated style that never accentuates the first beat. In reggae, the offbeat is clear and defined. A mbalax player has to do 50 percent less but his rhythm has to be perfect.

Tells us about the people who feature on this album (Mutabaruka, Patrice, Ayo, Morgan Heritage)…
The dub poet Mutabaruka found out I was in Kingston from a local newspaper. He invited me onto his radio show and asked me if I could talk about the song Marley, a track that already featured Tyrone Downie and Yusuf Islam [Cat Stevens]. The homage to Bob was almost a family affair. It was fantastic! I also wanted to bring in some fresh blood with some new reggae voices, such as Ayo, whose last album I loved, and my friend Patrice. As for Morgan, I like what they do but I don’t know them personally. One day while I was in Kingston, they phoned me. They were in Dakar, and they were getting ready to play at my club! The coincidence was too great, we just had to work together!

Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s film I Bring what I love reveals the depth of your faith in Sufism. Is there any link between Sufism and Rastafarianism?
I belong to Sheik Ahmadou Bamba’s Mouride brotherhood. The Sheik’s first disciple, Sheik Ibrahima Fall, was a Rasta. Since then, the whole succession of disciples, called the  Baye Fall, resemble Jamaicans. They make music, dance, sing and share with Rastas a belief in peace and solidarity.

What is your view of the 50th anniversary of Africa’s independence from colonial powers?
It’s a celebration, but also a rebirth. We build on our successes, learn from our mistakes, and dream of a united Africa which will only happen with culture and music as driving forces. I think the whole world is waiting for concrete proposals from Africa in terms of the environment, trade, unity… We need to build our own vision of the future!

Youssou N’Dour Dakar-Kingston (Universal) 2010

Live at the Olympia, Paris, 23 March 2010
African Party at Paris-Bercy, 19 June 2010

Anne-Laure  Lemancel

Translation : Hugo  Wilcken