film
7:30pm
$10 donation
"timbuktoubab"
award-winning world music film (mali)
produced by blues guitarist markus james
"timbuktoubab is that rare film in which a westerner ventures
into another culture and actually illuminates it, rather than
obscuring it behind a personal drama ... beautifully filmed,
richly narrated, and genuinely moving, this film puts meat
on the dry bones of the over-hyped but under-examined
'blues roots in africa' discourse."
(banning eyre, npr, afropop worldwide)
"markus james' celebration of the universality of legends and
spiritual themes is outdone only by his pleasure in working the
west african roots of the blues ...'timbuktoubab' ... played to sold-out,
soundly applauded screenings at the mill valley film festival."
(jeff kaliss, san francisco chronicle)
winner of the prestigious cine golden eagle award and featured in this year's san francisco world film festival, "timbuktoubab" aurally and visually captures the musical tone of the vast sahara, nourished for centuries by the waters of the niger, and successfully connects that ancestral feel to the traditional sounds of blues music rising up from the mississippi delta. the force behind the film "timbuktoubab" is virginia-raised blues guitarist markus james, who along with his malian collaborators hamma sankare (on calabash & vocals and known for his recordings and tours with with the legendary malian bluesman ali farka toure), hassi sare (on njarka violin & vocals) and solo sidibe (on kamele n'goni & vocals), passionately conjures up the spirit of the blues by immersing himself in mali's haunting music. the result is a creative meeting of cultures at the ancient source of blues music, and a transcendence into that musical plane beyond time and space. what is found there is beyond definition -- but the audience comes away knowing that it has just come to grips with common ground.
""few cross-cultural musical collaborations have been as pleasing and
fruitful as markus james' 'timbuktoubab' project...their music is
a language that they speak fluently, a language whose grammar
has been developing for centuries."
(marco werman, pri/bbc's "the world")
background information:
"timbuktoubab" [running time 54 min.] was filmed in the sand dunes and villages in and around timbuktu, mali. it combines live performances, impressionistic music video sequences, travels to niafounke, and interviews with songhai master musicians hamma sankare and hassi sare in their native dialect of sonrai (a film first). "timbuktoubab" is a visually rich documentary of markus james' unique and ongoing collaborations with three masters of traditional malian music. the group has come together several times in the ancient multi-cultural crossroads of timbuktu, to live and work together, writing songs and eventually giving their first public performance for the people of timbuktu. in recent news, the film "timbuktoubab" has received the cine golden eagle award and will be featured in october's san francisco world film festival and in the mt. shasta international film festival. for more information go to www.timbuktoubab.com.
markus james, originally from virginia and the dc area, first encountered west african stringed music at the smithsonian folklife festival where he was mesmerized by the gambian kora player and singer, alhaji bai konte. after playing in various rock and r&b groups, james moved to the sf bay area where he pursued his interests in african, indian, and gamelan music, while also writing and recording original music in various rock styles. he traveled in west africa and also haiti, studying traditional ensemble drumming, before first visiting mali in 1994, when he made his way to the village of niafounke to meet ali farka toure. it was then that he first recorded with wassoulou musician solo sidibe, and this became the "where you wanna be" album, released 6 years later. he has produced several programs for pri's afropop worldwide, notably "ali farka toure: live >from niafounke." james has returned to mali many times, where he has written and recorded blues-influenced music with traditional malian musicians, notably his 2002 release "nightbird", and "timbuktoubab" which have been warmly received by critics in the us and europe (please see review quotes below). his collaborations in timbuktu with hamma sankare (calabash player on ali farka toure's tours and albums), hassi sare (master of the one-stringed njarka violin), and solo sidibe (who plays the kamele n'goni, the hunter's harp of the wassoulou people) are the subject of the documentary film "timbuktoubab". this group has performed at the festival in the desert in 2003 and 2004, as well as in timbuktu and other towns and villages in northern mali. in the us, markus tours with the wassonrai, featuring wassoulou musician mamadou sidibe, and amadou camara. they have performed on numerous radio shows, including pri / bbc's "the world," at festivals, and in clubs. markus james' new cd "calabash blues" is due out in october. it is a compilation of original blues songs with the sounds and feel of the malian roots of the blues: 7 new tracks alongside highlights from his critically acclaimed "nightbird" and "timbuktoubab" albums. it features songhai calabash master hamma sankare on calabash, who has been a driving force on the recordings and tours of grammy-winning malian bluesman ali farka toure. for more information on markus james and his projects, log onto www.firenzerecords.com/ [photos: www.firenzerecords.com/epkbio.html].
other local appearances:
markus james and the wassonrai will be performing live at
johnny d's on sat., october 22d, at 9:30 pm.
they will also be featured on wumb's "live at noon" on
thurs. october 20th.
"a vital mix of the mississippi delta and mali, a cultural exchange
of haunting beauty and mystery."
(blues revue magazine)
"i was so delighted to bring to you the fine musicianship of
markus james. his original approach to blues music combining
american roots blues with west african roots music is
such a soul filled experience.
they created some magical music."
(blues host freddie blue, wwoz, new orleans, la)