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composed lyrics in a wooded area near the southern bank of
the Niger River.
"As with most Mande music, the songs speak of social issues
and are meant to encourage and inspire the people in their
efforts to develop the nation and fight poverty," says Klein.
"[There's] a song praising all types of work as a noble cause...
[one dealing with] the importance of community for mutual
support around life-cycle events, plus a song featuring proper
djelfya—griot performance—about the founder and warrior
king of the Mande empire, Sundiata Keita."
Ttv. lyrics are full of Malian proverbs. Some are particularly
universal such as “Yiri kurun meme ji la o te ke bamba ye"
("No matter how long a log remains in the water it
will never become a crocodile"), "Nyagame nyinina
te badenye” ("He who seeks a camel will not see a
goat") and, perhaps most universal of all “Diaraby
i kana waa ka n to” ("My love, do not leave me here
alone").
Klein recorded Dugu Wolo in Mali in 2010, tak
ing along filmmaker Jason Miller to document the
process. In all 11 Malians appear on the record, and
:he sessions for the album typically had Klein record
his guitar and vocals first with the
others adding their parts later.
The release event for Dugu Wob
at the Avid Bookshop will feature
a reading from Klein from his writ
ings done in Mali, a screening of
the trailer for the aforementioned
documentary and an album-listening
reception complete with Malian food.
A portion of the CO sales this night
will benefit the nonprofit African Sky,
which works on sustainable develop
ment projects in Mali.
Dugu Wob is a passionate and
mutually respectful document of cul
tural exchange and immersion. Klein
says, "Malians are wonderful people.
They're playful, gracious, kind, welcoming, hospitable and a
lot of fun to be around. These are all inherent cultural values.
Malians tend to be proud and have a positive outlook in the
face of dire poverty... I find a stark beauty to the land and the
patterns of life there, and feel connected to the natural order
of things in a deep and powerful way. Most importantly, I have
dose friends there whom I hope and expect to remain involved
with throughout our lives."
Gordon Lamb
A dam Klein first went to the West African country
Mali in 2002 for his two-year assignment in the
Peace Corps. He researched the culture before
arriving, and he teamed that the three main
castes under which family names were categorized were as
nobles, blacksmiths and griots (those who are storytellers,
advisers of royalty, musidans, praise singers and keepers of
the history of Mali). He hoped to be with a griot; family. Sure
enough, his host family had the premier griot rramei Kouyate.
Malian custom dictates that all visitors receive a Malian name.
Klein says, "Nobody's gonna call you by any name but a Malian
name." He would be known there as Lassine Kouyate.
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MHMmdi
led to Klein releasing his album
Mande music this week. Titled Du
Wob—a variation of the spelling
of Dougouolo, the village where
he lived—the album's 12 tracks
approach the music from a tradition
alist point of view and are mostly
sung in the Bambara language.
There are some structural differences between Mande and
Klein's typicallycountry-and-folk output Tm definitely not a
technical player," says Klein, "but more interested in the feel
of a song or performance... Mande musk tends to have a main
metodk line that recurs throughout the song. On acoustic gui
tar, which is played in a style to echo the sound of the [West
African harp-like instrument] kora, the player picks strings at
fifths and octaves followed by rapid-fire ornamental melodic
lines. Minor key sounds, mainly, with a tot of call-and-response
vocals. [There's] more in common with the blues than straight
forward country music."
Klein wanted to write songs that would "speak to Malians
in a meaningful way." He met djembe master Breman Kouyate
in 2009 and visited him a few weeks later. Kouyate invited a
griot from the Traort dan to assist Klein in writing "poignant
Bambara lyrics to [his] unfinished songs." Although dressed
in rags upon their first meeting, tire griot returned in fine
traditional bogolan ("mud doth") for this important task. They
tot. Drink, listen Closely.
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