Outhouse Ruhabi
Todd Wills reports from a unique Anglo-Gambian project where British Jazz improvisation meets the Wolof groove of the Sabar drum.
Never heard of Outhouse Ruhabi? Well, not many people have. Not yet, anyway. That’s because this is a one-off collaboration yet to reach UK shores between five of The Gambia’s most talented Wolof artists and the UK jazz ensemble Outhouse.
The brainchild of talented Outhouse drummer and rising star of the London jazz scene, Dave Smith, the vision behind the project has been to combine contemporary jazz improvisation with the tribal West African groove of the Sabar drum. “What’s so special about this idea?” you may ask, since jazz artists have long explored the rhythms and melodies found all over Africa. Well, this project aims to create a unique sound that moves away from the more common idea of fusing styles and explores the concept of two cultures meeting in the middle, by allowing both the jazz and Wolof players to retain a distinct voice within the work.
Outhouse are a quartet of Robin Fincker, Mark Hanslip, Johnny Brierley and Dave Smith who have been writing and performing together since 2003 and are affiliated to the Loop Collective of young jazz musicians currently making waves in London. The Gambian artists they’ve chosen to work with on this project are drummers Baboucar Camara, Biran Saine, Kaw Secka, Mambiran Saine and Laity Fye who all work under the auspices of registered NGO ECCO International (Education through Communication and Culture Organisation). ECCO are active in numerous countries helping communities develop sustainable cultural camps in which traditional artists interested in music education can work, thrive and support themselves through teaching.
It was while attending a West African music course run by ECCO International back in 2002 that Dave Smith experienced what can only be described as an epiphany. While studying in The Gambia he was struck by the remarkable parallels that exist between traditional Wolof music and jazz, recognising shared characteristics such as introductions, solos, unison sections, linking sections, time changes, layered parts, changing roles and ending sections. Furthermore, although this was a completely different musical language he was experiencing, the interplay took on similar approaches such as call and response, musical reactions and acknowledgments.
Since that initial trip in 2002 Smith has travelled back and forth to The Gambia on numerous occasions working as a teacher with ECCO and studying under the tutelage of the Gambian artists involved in this project. He has immersed himself in the Wolof culture learning the rhythms of the Sabar drum and over time, developing a keen understanding of a tradition central to the way of life both in The Gambia and Senegal.
Smith’s passion for this music inevitably sparked an interest from his colleagues in Outhouse and the idea for this project was born. It has taken the best part of two and a half years to get off the ground and a generous grant from the Arts Council, but in December 2007 Outhouse were finally able to realise the first part of their project when they flew out to The Gambia to work on new material and see how the improvisational style of Outhouse would work alongside the traditional bakas (rhythms) of Wolof drumming.
The trip proved a resounding success and what they have returned with are raw, hypnotic grooves, free-flowing improvisation and an all round sympathetic feel for each other’s music despite their radically different approaches to the art of composition. Whilst the players in Outhouse all have solid academic musical backgrounds and are adept in the art of improvisation the Gambian artists have learned their craft from a wealth of musical knowledge passed down through generations in the form of “bakas”. For the uninitiated, these are short musical phrases, rhythmically based on the phonetics of sayings and proverbs taken directly from the Wolof language.
Far from being a barrier to creativity, these two opposing musical methodologies proved catalytic in their effect on each group and inspired a fresh approach to a long-standing musical tradition. Outhouse took the opportunity to learn some of the “bakas” and subsequently replaced drums with brass and the Wolof artists reciprocated by creating space in the work to allow the jazz elements to grow. It is this mutual musical understanding that has proved to be the artistic foundation upon which they have built this unique sound of jazz meets Wolof.
British audiences will have the chance to hear the results in May 2008 when the Gambian artists visit the UK for a series of gigs, including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on 3rd May and the ICA in London on 18th May. They will also be giving a series of master classes at a number of colleges as well as carrying out workshops in East London schools in partnership with the charity Kids Company.
Check out concert footage in Gambia’s capital Banjul during Outhouse’s December 2007 visit on YouTube: Clip 1 , Clip 2 and Clip 3 .
If you would like more information regarding this project contact Todd Wills at todd.wills@gmail.com
UK dates:
2 May 2008: Wells Cathedral School, Concert Hall, Somerset BA5 2ST, 7.30pm, £5, Tel: 01749 834200
3 May 2008: Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1HQ, 1.30pm, £16, Tel: 01242 774400, Tickets: http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/whats_on/event_detail.html?id=1973
13 May 2008: The Brook Theatre, Old Town Hall, Chatham M14 4SE, 8pm, £10/£9, Tel: 01634 338338
15 May 2008: Kalabash at Salmon & Compass, 58 Penton Street, London N1 9PZ, 7.30pm, donations
17 May 2008: Orange Street Music Club, 15 Orange Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2JA, 8pm, £10/8
18 May 2008, ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH, £8/£7 ICA members, Tel: 020 7930 3647