This is an interview with Mamane Barka, the last master of the Biram, a traditional African instrument in Niger.

In a world where entire animal species and ethnic tribes can be lost, it should come as no surprise that musical instruments too, can become extinct.
Standing firm against the disappearance of the ancient African instrument the Biram, is the musician Mamane Barka- the last master of the Biram.
There is an urgency in Barka’s voice as he strives to fulfill his ambition to keep the Biram going, amidst ever changing musical tastes and the nonchalance of the political elite in his native Niger.
He said: “Culture is disappearing. I can’t believe that in a country like mine, where you can get a lot of important traditional instruments, these instruments are allowed to disappear. The old periods are dying and there is no one who can continue – that is not good.”
He added: “I may be only one person, but I can do something that another man can continue after me.”
Barka spoke to Suite 101 about how he learnt to play the Biram and his efforts to secure the instrument’s continued legacy.
Learning a Sacred Traditional Instrument
Barka’s journey to becoming the last surviving player of the Biram is as fascinating as the music that he conjures from the instrument.
The Biram is a sacred, traditional instrument used by the small Boudouma tribe in Eastern Niger. Traditional fishing nomads, they live on the border of lake Chad.
A 5 stringed instrument somewhat similar to a harp, the Biram is played only by initiatied masters within the Boudouma tribe. In the Boudouma language, Biram means ‘family’ and the 5 strings represent the father, mother, and three children. The instrument is sacred to the Boudouma people and evokes images of their nomadic, peaceful life.
But Barka is not from the Boudouma tribe. He hails from the similarly nomadic Toubou tribe and only discovered the Biram in 1998 as part of ethnomusicological research he was conducting with academics.
He explained: “In 1998 I went with a professor of music to do research on music from different tribes in my country. When we met the man who became my master (Boukar Tar), he was crying. He said he was not happy because there was no one who played the Biram now. He played a song called Bulanga, which is a song he did for his friends and other masters of the Biram who died. ‘Now’, he said, ‘I am alone’. ‘What will be the future of the Biram?’ He cried in front of us. The professor told me: ‘Barka, the Biram is a very important instrument for your country and you shouldn’t let it die. You must go back and ask him to teach it to you’, and I agreed.”
Becoming the Last Master
However it wasn’t until 2002 that Barka was able to return to the coast to find the old master. Difficulties in identifying financial support delayed his dreams, but it was a UNESCO scholarship that finally gave him the opportunity to return to the tribe.
The 51 year old Barka explained: “When I went back to the village in 2002, the old master looked at me in surprise. When I told him that I had come to be his student, he was very pleased.”
After many rituals of purification the old master agreed to educate Barka in the holy instrument and the lyrics of the mystical songs.
Barka’s timing was just right as his master died the following year.
Armed with his master’s 47 year old Biram given to him as a gift, Barka is now truly the last master of the Biram in the world and considers it his duty to teach others about the instrument.
Most of the songs he performs are traditional Boudouma songs that talk about the life of the ancestors, the spirits and animals; the beauty of the water in the lake, the beauty of the desert, and the braveness of the warriors. He sings in the Boudouma language as well as in Haussa, Toubou and Kanuri, all different languages of Niger.
Teaching Traditional Music
Barka bemoaned the loss of interest in the instrument amongst young people in his home country.
“The population doesn’t want the Biram now,” he said.
“The young people don’t want it. They don’t want traditional music- not just the Biram but all traditional music. My country is full of important and very good music but the young people want rap music, or to learn the guitar or the piano or the saxophone. I am only doing this now, going around the world with the Biram, to get the youths to love the culture.”
Thankfully, the future for the Biram looks bright. Barka has three keen students– all anxious to get their own instrument soon.
“They want their own instruments,” he explained.
“I tell them one day I will get some money so that everyone can get his own Biram. I don’t want to be like my master- if I die there is no one anywhere with a Biram. My master gave me his own Biram; the one that his father gave to him- he had it for 47 years. It is very old and I am scared to leave it in my house with my two wives and nine children!”
Prior to learning the Biram, Barka was a well known musician in Niger, famous for popular music.
His devotion to the Biram now has taken him around the world and he hopes that his recent UK tour in November 2009, will continue to raise the profile of this beautiful instrument.
“The Biram is not a sacred instrument to me as it was to my master,” he said.
“Its music and melodies and the words are sacred, but it is a universal instrument. It is an instrument that everyone can learn to play without doing the purification rituals. You come to see me and I will teach you how to play the Biram.”

Research has shown how good sight-readers are successful, but how should we be teaching these skills to music students?

Sight-reading seems to be something that private lesson teachers just assume that a student is practicing on his or her own. Realistically, many students are not practicing sight-reading on their own and most probably don’t know how unless it is explained to them. Also, sight-reading is a skill that takes practice to become good at. Teachers should monitor their students’ sight-reading progress carefully, just like other skills taught in lessons.
A teacher can teach their student good sight-reading habits by isolating skills and teaching them to students, just like other concepts taught in a lesson. Research has isolated certain habits of good sight-readers, so teaching those ideas in a lesson setting should prove beneficial. These habits are scanning the music before playing, knowing common patterns in music, reading rhythms accurately, and practicing well.
Scanning the Music Before and Reading
The best sight-readers note the time signature and key signature before playing. It seems simple, but research shows that when the music is covered up after a student has started, many students don’t remember what key they’re in. By establishing the importance of the key signature, the student can make a step toward good sight-reading skills.
Knowing Common Patterns in Music
This skill comes with hour of scales, arpeggios, and exercises. Spending lesson time on these skills at any level beyond beginners can be a waste of lesson time. However, to recognize common patterns in music, a student must also know how to scan ahead enough in the music to find the patterns. Many students are not aware of their peripheral vision.
They can be taught how they can use their peripheral vision to scan ahead in music to find recognizable patterns. While doing this, the teacher can encourage the student to try to take in larger and larger “chunks” of information.

Reading Rhythms Accurately
The brain takes in sight-reading information incredibly quickly when it recognizes something familiar, and slowly when it doesn’t. By taking time to go over difficult rhythms in a lesson when they come up in an exercise or solo, the student has a much better chance of recognizing it next time.
Practicing Well
Students often don’t know how to practice properly. By talking about what a student should be doing during personal practice time, that student can learn good habits that will make practice time much more profitable.
Practicing scales, arpeggios and challenging rhythmical etudes at home are some ways students can improve their sight-reading skills at home. To make sure that the student is progressing, a teacher should make sure in the lessons that the student is practicing these skills at home.
Consistently teaching sight-reading practice in the right environment should yield a highly efficient sight-reader, and a student who can have more fun playing music.
Sources
MacKnight, Carol B. “Music Reading Ability of Beginning Wind Instrumentalists after
Melodic Instruction. Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring, 1975), pp. 23-34.
McPherson, Gary E. “Factors and Abilities Influencing Sight-reading Skill in Music.”
Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 217-

Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of American music. Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899.
His parents were James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. They raised Duke as an only child, until his sister, Ruth, was born when Duke was sixteen years old.
Duke, even as a teenager had a great talent for music. In the beginning of his musical life, Duke began to take a promising interest in a new type of music that would later be called jazz. Choosing to base his career on a new idea may not have been smart, but Duke did take this chance and in turn became one of the most famous musicians in America.
Duke’s first job was at a government office. He was a clerk who received the minimum wage and was barely getting by. He would arrange dance bands for weddings and parties for extra money. His mother taught him how to play the piano. Sometimes he put this knowledge to use and played at a few of the dance parties and weddings.
After Duke’s first job, he became more interested in painting and the arts. For a few years he painted public posters. Duke then decided to put together his own band. At this point in his life things started to change for the better for Duke, but not for long. In those days, this new music was just beginning to develop and would later be given the name of jazz. In that time it was considered to be low and vulgar because it was music that grew directly out of the Black culture. In those early years, segregation was at one of its all time worst points in history. I think that is why Duke Ellington was one of the most important individuals to the growth and development of jazz.
During Duke’s long career, the new music slowly spread out of bars and saloons, to dance and night clubs and then eventually onto the concert stage.
In time, jazz became a universally recognized form of art and has been said that it is the only real form that has originated from the American soul.
By the 1960’s Duke traveled the globe so many times that he became known as the unofficial ambassador to the United States. Duke’s band had played in Russia, Japan, Latin America, the Far East, the Middle East, and Africa.
Duke, himself, was an elegant man. When the white people looked down on the black man and his music, Duke managed to bring dignity to every one of his performances. Once, the jazz historian Leonard Feather described Duke as, ‘an inch over six feet tall, sturdily built, he had an innate grandeur that would have enabled him to step with unquenched dignity out of a mud puddle.’
Duke’s private life was something of an enigma. Although he had many friends he never really told them everything about himself. He would often guard his privacy probably because he had so little of it. When he was alone though, he would almost always be arranging the next tune for the band to play, and was always thinking or preparing something for the band to do in the next performance.
Duke attracted some of the greatest musicians to join his band. Because of this it has been said that many of Duke’s pieces are almost impossible to exactly duplicate without the personal style of the original musicians. One of the strange things that was known about Duke was that his school music teacher, Mrs. Clinkscales, who played the piano, was always the inspiration for him to just sit down and start tinkering around with a few notes that usually became big hits.
In his band the two, probably most famous musicians were the trumpeter Whetsol and the saxophonist Hodges. As the band became more and more popular, saxophonist Hodges became the highest paid performer in the United States.
The 1920’s became known as ‘the Jazz Age’ because jazz had hit its first great burst of popularity. At that time Duke then added a young drummer named Sonny Greer. A few years after Greer was hired, Duke’s band hit a very rough spot. They were often stuck in the street with no money and nowhere to go. Duke and his band often were stuck doing crude recordings just for a few dollars to buy a meal.
In the autumn of 1927, luck had crossed paths with Duke again. The manager of Duke’s band, Irving Mills, had heard that the prestigious cotton club was looking for a new band and immediately Irving began campaigning for Duke. Duke and his band opened on December 4, 1927 to meet a mad rush of spectators who eagerly awaited to hear Dukes newest pieces. Duke’s band became very prosperous and they had their own spot on the Cotton Club floor with special lighting and accommodations.
At the year of 1928 the band consisted of Bubber Miley, Freddy Jenkins, and Arthur Whetsol on trumpet, joined with Tricky Sam Nanton, and Juan Tizol on trombone. Johnny Hodges, now on alto sax, with Barney Bigard doubled on tenor sax and clarinet, and finally Harry Carney at seventeen years old joined on bari sax. Carney was known as one of the first people in a band ever to use the bari sax as a solo instrument.
While Duke’s band was performing at the Cotton Club, his band participated in more than sixty-four recording sessions.
In 1931 Duke grew so tired of the show-business routines that he decided to try his luck again on his own. When he arrived in New York his band grew to almost three times what it originally had been at the Cotton Club. Duke feared that this would become a very serious problem considering how the stock market crashed in late 1929 and millions of people across the United States were out of work.
Somehow, though, most of the entertainment business survived the economic hardships. Ellington’s band had appeared on Broadway and had even gone to Hollywood to make a movie. Duke’s band was having a hard time performing in the south because of the segregation laws not allowing blacks to eat in white restaurants or finding accommodations that would allow blacks and whites to stay together in a half-decent room.
In 1932 Duke added a trombonist named Lawrence Brown. In the same year, most of the other big bands were adding vocalists to their ensemble and thus Duke felt pressured to do so too. Duke then hired a woman named Ivie Anderson and quickly proved that he had done the right thing.
Then in 1933 his band got a chance to play in Europe. At first Duke was very skeptical of how his music would be reacted to just because jazz had its roots in America and the Europeans had a very contrasting style of music. The band managed to talk Duke into believing the idea was a good one. The band’s first stop was England. The band was amazed at how well informed they were about their entire past. Even the Prince of Wales came to hear the band play. At the time the prince was an amateur drummer and Sonny Greer Showed the prince how to work the drum set and they played together and in the end were calling each other ‘Sonny’ and ‘The Wale’. All the concerts held in England were sellouts. The band then moved on to Scotland, and then Paris, France where their music was greeted with open arms.
When Duke’s band returned to America the band really began feeling the hardship and sorrow of traveling on the road, being separated from loved ones. Also, many of the band members, including Duke, began developing drinking problems and started making some of the musicians lives miserable. What made things worse was the fact that Duke’s mother, Daisy, died in May of 1935 that set Duke into a deep depression and he used to sit and stare into space while he talked to himself. Fortunately though, those long pep-talks with himself seem to snap Duke out of his depression.
But despite everything the band survived and in 1946 a saxophonist/clarinetist named Russell Procope joined the band and brought everyone up to a new point of view about traveling on the road. Around the time that Procope joined the band Duke invented a new song called ‘Reminiscing in Tempo’ and was not looked upon favorably by critics but it did seem to sum everything up that was written by Ellington from 1931 to 1939 in a combination of gladness, sadness, triumph, and tragedy. But then Duke’s friend Arthur Whetsol became and had to leave the band.
Then the future of the band seemed uncertain as the depression continued and millions of people were still out of work. Until around 1935 when the ‘Swing Era’ hit the U.S. Irving Mills had then formed his own record company in 1936 that boomed with popularity as the demand for big bands playing this new swing music was in intense demand.
Later on Duke hired a lyrical writer named Billy Strayhorn that led a premature death in 1967. But when Strayhorn was with the band he wrote many compositions that often went into the band’s book of music. Then in 1942 Duke hired one of the best tenor saxophonists ever and let him play the first tenor sax solo ever arranged by Duke Ellington.
In 1951 Saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trombonist Lawrence Brown, and Sonny Greer left the band together and formed their own band but then in 1955 Sonny Greer returned to the band and stayed with Duke until his death in 1970. And then by the 1950’s the Ellington band was carrying on almost alone.
By 1972 the times and styles of the world no longer fit the old time style of Duke’s band. The band was not known like it used to be and that could be the point in time I suppose you could say that the band broke up.
Duke Ellington’s career spanned the whole history of the birth of the music called jazz. And nowhere in that glorious history is there a man who had more love for music, more respect for his art, than the man they called the Duke.

David Kunstek writes for Http://www.ShotGlassShelf.com – Display Cases for the Shot Glass Collector, and Http://www.Secret-Deals.com – Every day discounts on Brand Name Merchandise

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About the Author
David Kunstek writes for Http://www.ShotGlassShelf.com – Display Cases for the Shot Glass Collector, and Http://www.Secret-Deals.com – Every day discounts on Brand Name Merchandise

For me, the New Year always brings with it anticipation of the Barbados Jazz Festival. I am not a jazz purist, I enjoy all genres of music, particularly R&B, Soul, World Beat and the numerous local acts from the Caribbean that hold sway at most Caribbean jazz festivals. Each year, Gilbert Rowe, founder and president of GMR Tours brings more than a few musical surprises both local and international.

The 16th edition of the Barbados Jazz Festival brought Harvey Mason, James Blunt, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Angie Stone, and Chrisette Michele as headliners, Hilario Duran and Glenn Lewis from Toronto, Canada and featured local artists Diana Jarrett, David Burnett, Dwane Husbands, Kite, Errol Ince, Raf Robertson & Birdsong Academy along with Nexcyx and BCC Jazz Project.

While my main reason for flying to Barbados each January is to cover the jazz festival it is also the day trips and attractions that I look forward to. Careening off road through sugar cane fields in the back of an Island Safari Jeep or lolling about the Tiami Catamaran on a luxurious 5 hour trip up the west coast of Barbados are just two of my favourite things to do.

Opening night of the jazz festival is held at the Sunbury Plantation House built in 1660 in the Parish of St. Philip. The beautifully lit landscaped grounds feature numerous carts and machinery once used to cultivate the land over a century ago. The house itself has withstood the ravages of both fire and hurricanes and is open daily for visitors to enjoy lunch or dinner while they explore the fascinating history of this grand plantation house.

Over the years, many great jazz artists have graced the stage at Sunbury, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, John Pattiticci, Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Dianne Reeves and Lizz Wright to name just a few. A celebratory mood engulfs the atmosphere on opening night, women are dressed to the nines and the men are enjoying the repartee. The 2009 BJF edition opened with Diana Jarrett before headliner Harvey Mason took the stage.

This year’s crop of local talent included David Burnett and Dwane Husbands at Heritage Park and Rum Factory. Each year Heritage Park presents the best of the best in local Bajan talent. I am a big supporter of the many talented young artists to perform on Tuesday nights at the festival. One year featured rising star Hal Linton, who has since been signed to a multi-million dollar record deal with Universal/Motown and will be releasing his new CD sometime in 2010. Linton has the moves, grooves and smooth good looks of top R&B artists from the past. Keep your eyes and ears tuned for this young man’s debut.

Wednesday’s day trip involved a visit to the new Aerial Trek Zipline Adventure and I could not get there soon enough. I had my first zipline experience at Utah Olympic Park in late 2008; it was such a thrilling experience that I quickly became a zipline fan. I loved going 50 mph on a zipline and the feel of moving along a wire suspended from a small harness. The new Barbados Aerial Trek Adventure is set in the rainforest 160 feet above the ground going from platform to platform, up close in the canopy free as a bird. It is a fun and exhilarating experience to be near the top of the treetops in the dense rain forest allowing one to feel at home with nature.

Local rock/pop group Kite opened with their Police/Beatles/60’s reverb sound before a frenzied performance from none other than headliner James Blunt. Who knew Blunt was such a wild man on stage…. he could give Jamie Cullum a run for his money on stage antics. Both Blunt and Cullum move from guitar to piano in sneakers, they both jump onto their pianos and run around onstage like giddy elves.

Blunt is completely charming, it was no wonder that the mostly female audience went crazy when Blunt invited them to come to the front of the stage. His songs are a sad reflection of life circumstances that has felt the pain of a broken heart more than once. It was odd to see such exuberance during tales of love gone wrong. Blunt jumped off stage and into the audience shaking hands and singing, he jumped onstage then stepped onto his piano smiling and singing all the while. He took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and grabbed the guitar. He played his hits, everyone knew the words and sang with him, ‘You’re Beautiful’ sent the crowd into overdrive. Blunt is a consummate entertainer with heart rendering songs of love, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he’s funny, engaging and yes, he even won me over.

The next morning I was on the bus to tour Harrison’s Cave, a limestone cave that remains a ‘live’water source. The water that flows through Harrison’s Cave is pure and clean. Pools of crystal clear water flow throughout the cave in dramatic lighting. The stalactites and stalagmites are beautiful individual works of art that are constantly evolving. The 40 minutes passed too quickly in this magical underground setting.

When it comes to rum, there is no finer rum than Mount Gay. A tour of the Mount Gay Rum Factory is the perfect way to become familiar with the history and variety of rum available on the island. You will be greeted in the garden with a small sample of refreshing rum punch as a steel pan player provides the musical flavors before you begin a tour of the facility. You will have an opportunity to see some of the old photographs and learn about the history of the first families to produce this superior rum product. Inside the on-site Rum Shop, some of the oldest distillery pots are on display, along with a short film detailing footage and photos of the history of Mount Gay Rum. At the end of the tour, you will be called upon to belly up to the bar and enjoy a sampling of several varieties of rum. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing lunch with ocean views and a cooling breeze on the outdoor veranda.

Later that evening we had the good fortune of attending one of the concerts at the incredible Crane Beach Resort, Barbados oldest resort hotel, built in the 1700’s. The magnificent Crane has cloned itself into a village of luxury suites and rooms, and most recently added several shops on the property in their own Town Square. We enjoyed cocktails in the square before a sumptuous dinner of traditional Thai and Japanese cuisine in one of the private ‘Tatami’ dinning rooms. Zen was the winner of the 2009 Zagat Guide to the Best of Barbados No. 1 for Food. The exquisite sushi bar and dessert table alone are worth the trip to Zen.

Trinidadian trumpeter Errol Ince was the special guest performer later that night on the Crane’s outdoor stage with the ocean and a slice of the moon as a backdrop. The scene suited the soft and gentle songs performed by Ince who has spent over 50 years playing the music he loves. Ince has toured with both the Tommy Dorsey and Lionel Hampton orchestras as well as bandleader for the Mighty Sparrow. At 70, Ince made his way from Trinidad to London where he was voted ‘Best Trumpet Player in Europe’ for five consecutive years, 1968-1972. This night was particularly poignant for Ince who had just learned of a close friend’s passing. He played one of his hit tunes ‘Gaza Strip’ his first composition written when he was 17 years old. He played standards such as ‘Freddie Freeloader’, ‘Stardust’ and ‘Girl from Ipanema’, talked about his days traveling the world, and ended with a gentle version of ‘Hot, Hot, Hot’ to a standing ovation.

A 9 a.m. pick-up delivered us to Shallow Draught where we boarded the gleaming Tiami Catamaran for the five-hour trip up the west coast of Barbados to swim, snorkel and watch the feeding of the giant sea turtles.

As always, the handsome crew were waiting with smiles, fishcakes and champagne and orange juice to welcome us while they took our shoes and guided us safely aboard. It was time to slather on the sunscreen and find a spot to ride the waves while a steady reggae beat kept pace in the background. There are numerous places to chill out and watch the scenery, soak up the sun, or mingle with the other passengers in the cabin area. I prefer to ride the front of the boat with the wind in my face and dangle my feet in the water as we glide silently through the waves powered only by the wind in the sail.

Once we arrive at the designated feeding site, we are one of several boatloads of tourists. After handing out snorkeling equipment and instructions, people are ready to jump in the water. The turtles are already enjoying a lunch of fresh chum to the delight of everyone. Close encounters are treasured moments of an all too brief encounter with these ancient sea turtles. A delicious lunch of flying fish, macaroni pie, chicken, salad, coleslaw and rice are prepared while everyone is in the water. After lunch is served, we pull up anchor and sail away to a coral reef site for more snorkeling or swimming before heading back. The experience onboard the Tiami is a day of five-star perfection that you will not want to miss on your next trip to Barbados.

The evening’s concert brought us to a new, elegant venue for the festival, Ilaro Court, the Prime Minister David Thompson’s residence, where the grounds were set with tables and chairs and concert seating in front of the stage. There were booths with home cooked Bajan food, crafts and an outdoor bar set up on the property. The first set opened with Raf Robertson’s Birdsong Academy of young musicians and singers who turned in a very impressive hour of music before headliner Dee Dee Bridgewater took the stage.

Sitting under the stars, in the backyard of the Prime Minister of Barbados with Dee Dee Bridgewater onstage enhances the experience of the Barbados Jazz Festival. Bridgewater arrived on stage – bald – singing ‘Let Me’. Her dazzling smile can light up the whole outdoors, with a mischievous glint in her eye she engages the audience with “Who ate my food? I can’t wait to get some of that Bajan home cookin’, you know that sensual food – you know how to ‘eat’ real good” she said with a wink as she launched into a slow and sensuous version of ‘Besame Mucho’ she acted out each nuance of the song. “Glad you enjoyed it so much, I did too” she sang ‘Speak Low, Speak Love’ a song on her latest CD; during ‘Let’s Talk About Love Baby’ she said “There’s just something about the men in Barbados….oooh, I want to talk about it all night long,” then began ‘Love For Sale’ swaying sensually, lifting her dress a little at the ankle, getting down and looking like a pouty bad girl she said “It feels good to be naughty, it breaks me out in a sweat, it makes me wet. I was told that you were a very discreet people, I was told that I should be careful not to wear plunging necklines, I was told that I shouldn’t say bad words but I could get the thought going. Is that right?”

“You all are sitting there all quiet and proper like – so I guess I’m just going to sit my fanny down and give you food for thought, I’m going to do a song from my last CD, it’s kind of a children’s tale for the child in all of us, cause this is the last I’m gonna be proper.” “I wrote these lyrics for our latest Grammy nominated CD, exploring our African ancestors from Mali. I’d like to dedicate this to all women of color.”

After the song was over Bridgewater looked out into the crowd and said “I need to know, did they put glue on those seats? Did they use Superglue? I mean it, you all are just sitting there, is that what you do in Barbados? Well, I’m going to do whatever I can to get you out of those seats on this last song because you people are wearing me out now, I’m up here working and you’re just sitting there.” At that point, 18 people get up and move to the music in front of the stage; another 14 stand up in front of their seats and sort of move to the music. It is clear that at this point Bridgewater has lost her enthusiasm and thanks those who got up to dance. Before she leaves the stage, she said, “It’s my first time to Barbados, I can’t say how much I have enjoyed myself – the Crane Resort – Oh my God, I found heaven. Thank you Caroline, Ann Marie, Paul and thank you Prime Minister, lots of love and blessings to everybody.”

Saturday and Sunday, the Barbados Jazz Festival moves to Farley Hill National Park located in the Parish of St. Peter. A forest of Barbados mahogany, Norfolk Island Pines, Tamarind and Cabbage Palms, a large garden, and a children’s playground surround the Great House ruins. Spectacular views of the Scotland district in the valley, the Sleeping giant and across to the rugged east coast can be seen from the top of the hill. Behind the Great House, you will find rolling hills of sugar cane as far as the eye can see all the way to the ocean.

Everyone comes early and prepared, with chairs, blankets, umbrellas and picnic coolers ready to stake out their favorite vantage point.

Local Barbados group Nexcyx was first to take the stage on Saturday, performing more of their original material than the previous year when the opened for Erykah Badu with a very tight set of old school R&B hits. I don’t know if was the early daytime set, the change in material or the overall energy level but I much preferred the set from the previous year. However, it is obvious that this group of talented young musicians and singers work hard to put together a professional show for their audience. I look forward to hearing what’s next from Nexcyx.

Toronto R&B singer Glenn Lewis followed, performing songs from his ‘World Outside My Window’ released on Epic Records including his hit ‘Don’t You Forget It’. His set was sprinkled with rap, hip-hop and R&B songs that warmed the audience up for headliner Angie Stone.

Singer, songwriter, record producer and actress, Angie Stone likes to keep busy. Flanked by her band and backup singers, Stone came out singing, songs from her Art of Love and War CD, released a few months earlier on Stax Records, her first for the label. ‘Happy Being Me’, ‘Brotha’,‘These Are the Reasons’. Stone’s neo soul groove held the audience captive and she ran through a repertoire that included songs from her previous CD’s such as ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’, ‘No More Rain in this Cloud’, ‘Pissed Off’ and ‘Touch It’ from her Mahogany Soul CD, along with a few favorites from her earlier CD’s on J Records.

Sunday at Farley Hill National Park (or as the locals call it ‘the hill’) began with a wonderful jazz group called BCC (Barbados Community College) Jazz Project featuring singer Kellie Cadogen. This young group performed jazz standards and a few originals with a mature feel for the roots of jazz. Kellie Cadogen, who released her first CD in 2008, has a sophisticated stage presence and knows how to work the crowd with strong, confident vocals. It was a great beginning to the last day.

Cuban born, Torontonian, Hilario Duran brought his group from Toronto along with singers, Luis Mario Ochoa and Jailan Duran, Hilario’s daughter, provided the vocals for the hot ,hot, hot, Latin dance music. Duran has won numerous awards for his playing, his compositions and is as adept at Latin jazz and straight ahead jazz not unlike Chucho Valden or Gonzalo Rubalcaba but he also likes to mix it up for the audience who likes to dance. No sooner did the first notes begin and the front of the stage was crowded with dancers. Salsa, Mambo, ChaCha in a mass of fast foot steps, spinning and twirling with hips swaying that kept the momentum moving at high speed. Luis Mario Ochoa is an excellent singer who also hails from Cuba and is a perfect match for Duran’s music.

R&B singer, songwriter and relative newcomer Chrisette Michele is signed to Def-Jam Records and was excited about the upcoming release of her second CD ‘Epiphany’ in late January. She performed tracks from the CD, obviously connecting with Barbados audience that was gathered around the front of the stage. Chrisette Michele is looking forward to being out on the road and touring with her band ‘The Truth’ as more opportunites open up for her. She sings well, looks great, writes songs that resonate with her fans and has an unstopable attitude. She has the right people in her corner working on bringing her and her music to the world. Keep your eyes and ears out for Chrisette Michele’s CD ‘Epiphany’ in the very near future.

I would like to thank the Barbados Tourism Authortiy, Ruth, Crystal, Jackie, Avril, Che; the Toronto BTA office, Cheryl Carter, Gail Stewart and eveyone else who work hard to make our trip to the Barbados Jazz Festival a most wonderful experience. A special thank you to Gilbert Rowe who manages to share many happy musical surprises each and every year. It is always my great pleasure to head ‘home’ to Barbados every January to hear some great music, and enjoy the treasures to be found on one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean.

Any given moment, countless people are listening to electronic music. It’s hard to believe that a mere ten years ago techno was considered an underground movement.

In the early eighties a trio of pioneers in Detroit began merging the sounds of synthpop and Italo-disco with funk. Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson were high school friends who went to dance parties where the music ranged from Kraftwerk to Parliament. They listened to an influential radio DJ, The Electrifying Mojo, who played European imports alongside Prince and the B-52’s. In 1981 Atkins and Richard Davies, aka 3070, started releasing records as Cybotron. Techno was born.

Around the same time, the infant hip-hop community picked up elements of Kraftwerk’s music, thanks to DJs like Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, and created electro. Electro relied heavily on synthesized beats and computery vocoder voices. In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa took the melody from Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express,” combined it with the distinctive beat from Kraftwerk’s “Numbers,” and composed the anthem “Planet Rock.” Electro spawned the idea of the funky computer. MCs rapped over its beats, and breakdancers formed a new culture in the cities where electro reigned.

In Chicago and New York, house music was taking a similar path. Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and other DJs were spinning synthesizer-driven dance music and creating their own edits and mixes. Before long, Chicago radio caught on with the Hot Mix 5 on WBMX, and locals began creating their own tracks to play.

Techno, electro, and house were made possible by new, inexpensive technology. The Roland TR-808, a programmable drum machine released in late 1980, formed the distinctive sound for the entire electro genre and was used in countless early techno and house tracks. 1981’s Roland TB-303 mini-keyboard was used to create squelchy basslines once people discovered the weird sounds that emerged from a little knob twiddling. Samplers and sequencers also became commonplace.

In the late eighties and early nineties, something odd happened. Techno and house, which had failed to gain mainstream success in the United States, became a huge phenomenon in Europe—especially in Great Britain. In fact, the term techno was popularized by Virgin Records’ seminal UK compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit.

Around 1990 raves began to appear near London. Most organizers of these large, illegal parties made their money dodging British licensing laws. Sometimes the location was a secret until the night of the event, and elaborate phone trees and rendezvous points were employed. Hundreds of ravers would descend simultaneously, making the parties more difficult to break up.

For a brief time in the U.K., rave music went pop. In 1996, The Prodigy hit Number 1 on the pop charts with two different singles, and for a while the record industry tried to push electronic music. At the same time, Warp Records built a roster of musicians who preferred to explore more experimental fare. Autechre (Sean Booth and Rob Brown), Aphex Twin (Richard D. James), and Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson), created alien atmospheres which pushed the boundaries of musical conventions. They were partially inspired by a second wave of Detroit artists, including Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, and Underground Resistance.

Where is electronic music headed? It’s difficult to say. The Internet transformed the music industry just as genres began to get increasingly specialized. Techno is a soundtrack for the wired world. Some of its original creators are approaching their forties, but many of its current listeners are in their twenties and early thirties—people who grew up with computers. Techno reminds us that humans control the machines, and electronics can be used to express funk and soul.

Bibliography

An Electronic Dance Music Timeline