{"id":42045,"date":"2019-01-23T14:04:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T13:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/crazy-african-jazzmen-hank-jones-meets-cheick-tidiane-seck\/"},"modified":"2020-07-15T11:39:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T10:39:53","slug":"crazy-african-jazzmen-hank-jones-meets-cheick-tidiane-seck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/crazy-african-jazzmen-hank-jones-meets-cheick-tidiane-seck\/","title":{"rendered":"Crazy Jazzmen of Africa: Hank Jones meets Cheick Tidiane Seck"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Episode 1. Once a month, we invite you to read about the singular experiences of jazz players heading back to their African roots.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the summer of 1993 when the American jazz pianist Hank Jones \u2013 a leading authority on the great tradition of jazz, at the age of seventy-five \u2013 expressed the desire to record an album of West African music, the project was met with a great deal of skepticism. This, however, was Jones\u2019s main priority for he knew that time was short. Jean-Philippe Allard and Daniel Richard, producers of the label Polygram Jazz, complied with his wishes and quickly organised an appointment with Cheick Tidiane Seck, a keyboard player from Mali. Seck, a frequent visitor to the lands of black American music, seemed to be the connection that Jones \u2013 who believed that the Dogon region was the home of his ancestors \u2013 needed. <\/span><\/p>\n

Seck, some ten years later, recalls that, \u2018In fact, I didn\u2019t even know the name Hank Jones. So I called Joe Zawinul, my older brother, who immediately told me it was a fantastic opportunity!\u2019 Seck, from his first meeting with Jones, was in awe, \u2018High class. He inspired respect and breathed life. In the lobby of the hotel where we met, there was a grand piano and he invited me to play a song. I chose \u201cKaira\u201d, a Mandinka classic where I transposed a kora piece to the keys. Hank jumped up and said, “I\u2019ve never heard anything like it! That’s exactly what I want to do!\u201d\u2019 And the rest is history!<\/span>
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A native of Segou and settled in Paris since 1985, Seck was in the perfect position to bring about a happy ending to this story, as he had access to a wide range of musical styles within the sub-continent. He had a handle on the traditional \u2013 thanks to his mother \u2013 as well as a more funky style, being a disciple of Jimmy Smith. Seck has greatly contributed the style\u2019s evolution since the 70s, most notably with the Super Rail Band. Suffice to say that this \u2018Warrior\u2019, or \u2018Black Buddha\u2019 as he is known, quickly established himself as the man of the hour, with the dual missions of recruiting musicians from West Africa \u2013 his \u2018Black Guard\u2019 (Moriba Ko\u00efta, Kasse Mady Diabate, Djeli Conda Moussa, Kouyat\u00e9 Lansin\u00e9, Tom Diakit\u00e9, Mama Keita…and even the singer Amina) and of creating a bespoke repertoire for an American audience. <\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span>The whole project took about 8 months, with Jones \u2018the old lion of Detroit\u2019 making his mark from a distance. Seck, recalls \u2018He called me from all corners of the globe, wherever he was playing, to tell me that he\u2019d learnt something! And then he arrived in Paris to record. During the sessions he kept joking, playing the bits that grabbed him for the n’goni or the balafon with his right hand. He would show me stuff at the piano, I’d give him ideas at the Hammond organ. It was a thrilling exchange that gave me the confidence I was missing. The whole process was a great lesson in humanity and authenticity. At the end, he hugged me. He was very moved, as were we all. We felt that we had recorded an anthology, simply for the pleasure of this quirky gentleman.\u2019 All done with immense talent, with the greats, a veritable \u2018who’s who\u2019 of jazz.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones chose to enter The Mandinkas\u2019 groove without breaking in, proceeding with delicate touches, applying his knowledge of harmonics sparingly, to emphasise the melodic beauty of each piece. He creates harmony between balafon, guitar, and kora, and then blends in a perfect chorus. Alongside and <\/span>with<\/span><\/i> his fellow musicians, Jones was more than a leader \u2013 he took on the position of guest of honour. The perfect position in which to be open to new experiences, all the while passing on his wisdom to the youth. The perfect melding between the Mississippi Delta native and his distant cousin, rocked by the Niger River. The centuries, dividing oceans, oppression and colonisation have not been able to erase the memory of a common language, the blues.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the album cover, Hank Jones and Cheick Tidiane Seck smile broadly at one another. The perfect illustration of the relationship which transformed what could have been a mere project, into a precious object. \u2018Mamadou the charming, what are the customs of these places? Can you inform me because I am a stranger? Guide our steps because we are adventurers \u2026\u2019 After a short introduction on the Fulani flute from the totemic Aly Wagu\u00e9, the words of Seck guide Jones through the empire of sound and meaning that is Mali. The choice of the track \u201cSarala\u201d \u2013 a Bambara melody that swarmed throughout the Mand\u00e9 and has been reinvented within the folds of present-day afro-jazz \u2013 was no accident. Sarala, like saravah in Brazilian, must be listened to as salvation, a blessing, \u2018it is advice to be careful and respectful so as to avoid the pitfalls of navigating a new world. This sums up Jones\u2019 spirit \u2013 a musician who knew everything about jazz, had over 800 records, and yet came to us with wisdom and humility\u2019 remembered the Malian in July 2010, with a tear in his eye. A month and a half earlier, the oldest Jones brother (Elvin a drummer for Coltrane, and Thad a great conductor) passed away at the age of 91, and with him went the possibility of recording a sequel to this first album, which has become \u2013 as if by magic \u2013 a classic. The two friends had just enough time to take to the stage together, in September 2009 at Jazz in La Villette. Alas, it would be for the last time.<\/p>\n

While the album is the culmination of a dream, the pianist never did walk on the land of his ancestors. \u2018Everyone held hopes of him for many years,\u2019 recalls Seck referring to the roaring success of the album even before it was officially released. \u2018Radio Mali has not stopped playing it ever since. This album is even more famous than I, The Warrior! It has received critical acclaim from the likes of Oumou Sangar\u00e9 or Toumani Diabat\u00e9. This album is a miracle, a gift from the Gods.\u2019<\/p>\n

 Listen to <\/span><\/span><\/em>Sarala<\/span><\/span> on Spotify<\/a>, Deezer<\/a> or Apple Music<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jacques Denis is on Twitter<\/a>. 
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Read next : KOKOROKO, the many moods of afro-jazz<\/a><\/span><\/h5>\n