Back to Zig, back home, back to work, hard work with few sleep, light and dreamless one. I was under some strange influence, it took me literally, I had to compose, to write, I couldn’t go to sleep; I got to do it until cramps bit my muscles, then a short nap and back to this chair. I didn’t get out much of my room during 3 weeks. Curiously I didn’t feel tired but energized; I was bewitched and quite amazed by the unexpected results of this working trance. In the beginning it was quite like a battle, I had to deal with big dimensions, big proportions, and it is so easy to become boring with such large structures. I introduced some elements I didn’t plan to mix when I started this project, and here I must notice and recognize Chloe’s influence so powerful, so genuine. I was so absorbed, so busy that I may seemed almost impolite to some people. Do I have to apologize? Didn’t I come here for this?....
“I know it’s only rock and roll but I like it!”....
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Then a delegation of the PECCS program has come to Ziguinchor to evaluate the status of 2 projects they are following, mine included. The PECCS program is funded by the Spanish cooperation and was first initiated in South America, and it is now adapted to Africa to promote cultural enterprises and help them to become professional.
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Here they are in the red little house listening to my work. I’m happy to see Maaike Cotterink, and Vicens Casassas the coordinator who has come with a Francis, a Catalan friend of him and Luc Mayitoukou whom I met for the first time. Luc has created Zhu Culture who acts for the training and education of the stage techniques, sound engineering, spotlighting, career management and artists agency, production, it works for a better broadcasting of African artists on the international stage. The meeting was very friendly, Luc’s questions were very sharp and precise, this man knows his job and I felt very stimulated by his presence.
Luc Mayitoukou
Maaike Cotterink
Vicens Casassas Canals coordinator of the PECCS program
We all are enthusiasts to work together to achieve this project. We worked with Maaike on the writing of a new presentation, she is very efficient and I very much like her sense of humor, it’s a pleasure to work with her.
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Then Luc left to Dakar, and Joel took us to one of his relatives’ funeral in Kamobeul, that was very joyful. The died woman was old, the palm-wine was streaming freely, we had a great time in the bush. They sailed back to Dakar with some sketches of Casamance on their mind.
Maaike, Vicens Francis
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Maaike, Francis
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I met some new musicians. First, Aziz Boukote, he’s French and he’s living 60 km away near the sea for more than 15 years, he has kids and wife. He writes songs that he sings with his own band. We visited his “Studio Brousse” with Joel; his beautiful house right in the middle of nature is peaceful and very inspiring. There I got to know Bernardo a little better as we encountered him randomly in Cap Skirring while he was biking to our meeting. He is a saxophonist, he is Dutch and he’s living in Casamance for almost 20 years. He has left Holland to reach New York, after a little pause in Senegal, he now has a wife, 2 wonderful kids, a house in Ziguinchor and he hasn’t reached New York yet.....
We recorded Sax parts in Aziz’ studio, he’s a very good player, with a very fine sound and he is also an excellent improviser. He likes the music and he’s interested in working with us.
Bernardo, Aziz Boukote
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On our way to Aziz, on the bus, as Joel was carrying a sax case, a matured man told him “What’s this? a trombone or a sax tenor? I played saxophone a long time while I was in the army. I played both alto and tenor, I used to master them, I left the army but I haven’t been lucky and I quit music…” I was listening to him talking about his disappointment, and then I said, “Life is not finished yet, take my phone number and call me next week”.....
He came one evening, his name Clement Lambert Diandy, and I showed him the alto sax and the tenor. He was sitting on a stool, he slowly took the instrument from the case without a word, and he took all his time to install the mouthpiece silently, then he looked at me with a shy smile and said “It’s been 20 years I haven’t blow in a sax. I didn’t play since 1989, my lips are loose, I’m afraid the sound won’t be very good”.....
He blew… nothing… He checked and replace the reed, and blew again, still no sound… the reed again, he put the mouthpiece on his lips, closed his eyes, and a beautiful sound filled the room. He played separated notes like a slow and atonal piece, High long notes, and got lower and lower, and then he started to climb the scale, the sound was good, shy first, but got franker and franker with some jarring notes. Then he took the sax tenor; the reed is made on that sax which is much easier to play. It was a reward to see his eyes when he shook my hand saying, “I’m very happy”, I was as happy as he was.
Clément Lambert Niandy
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We recorded a new song, Longen and Viviane and Joel did the backing vocals as usual, but this time Viviane came along with a friend of her. Olga Diédhiou....
is a true soprano and she complement Viviane very well. We rehearsed a lot as they have difficulty to pronounce English, and some French words.....
Olga is a hard worker, she really likes this job, and she has a good musical ear, she is shy doesn’t talk much, but she likes to sing.
Olga Diédhiou
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One of the songs I made had been chosen to appear in a compilation produced by the French Alliance, and that will be distributed in all the Alliance and the French Institutes around the world. It should be released in June. I met the other artists selected for this project, and we’re all motivated.....
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Tomorrow, Chloe will come in Casamance for the first time, and I feel more excited and stressed than if I would have to go on stage.....
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