Series 1 - Episode 3
Research
- Listen to the Episode playlist here
- Waaju: (Ben Brown Artist project)
- Ben Mark: (Neil Charles Production Alias)
Gnawa Music
Gnawa music, a traditional Moroccan art form, is explored through its ritualistic context and musical structure. The sources describe the lila, a trance ceremony involving the invocation of seven spirits (mlek), each associated with specific colors, music, and incense. Musical elements include the central gimbri instrument, the percussive qraqab, and vocal call-and-response. The music's pentatonic scale and polyrhythmic structure, particularly the 3:2 hemiola, contribute to its trance-inducing quality. Finally, the sources highlight the adaptation of the lila for public performances, resulting in a secularized "fraja" that omits some of the original ritual's sacred elements.
Key Elements of Gnawa music:
● Pentatonic scales: Gnawa music primarily uses pentatonic scales, which consist of five notes. However, it can also occasionally utilize tetratonic (four-note), hexatonic (six-note), or heptatonic (seven-note) scales.
● Polyrhythms: Gnawa music often features polyrhythms, which involve the simultaneous use of different rhythmic patterns. The gimbri and qraqab establish separate rhythmic motives, resulting in a 3:2 hemiola.
● Hemiola: Hemiola is a musical concept where two groups of three beats are played against three groups of two beats, creating a rhythmic tension and complexity. The fast tempo of Gnawa music sometimes obscures this hemiola.
● Antiphony: Each section of the ftuh ar-rahba features an element of antiphony, which is a musical technique characterized by call-and-response patterns between the solo voice of the m'allem and the chorus of the qarqabiya.
● Tempo: The ftuh ar-rahba, the central ritual of the lila, includes instrumental dance sections where the tempo of the music increases, accompanied by a louder sound from the qraqab.
The article also discusses the significance of the gimbri, a three-stringed bass lute, in Gnawa music:
● Melodic and Instrumental Center: The gimbri serves as the sole melodic instrument and the melodic and instrumental core of Gnawa music.
● Ritual Significance: During rituals, the gimbri is given offerings first and is often brought to the ritual site before other instruments. It is kept upright when not in use and is regularly purified with incense.
● Trance Induction: According to anthropologist Zineb Majdouli, the gimbri plays a central role in attracting the mlek(spirits) into the dance space and inducing trance. The plucking of the bass notes and the shifting melodies of the gimbri act as the call that attracts the dancers.
For Further study on Ganawa Music read this article.
The following study is a fascinating deep dive into the Modernisation / secularization and cultural context of Ganawa music:
To check out Ben's band Wajju playing with a legend of Gnawan music Majid Bekkas follow this link. It is a live performance at Church of sound London 2023
The gig was released as an album in 2024 on BBE Music called : Alouane (Live)
Album features musicians: Majid Bekkas - vocals & guimbri
Ben Brown - drums
Sam Rapley - tenor saxophone
Tal Janes - guitar
Joe Downard - bass
Will Fry - congas
Ben Rodney - krakebs
Driss Yamdeh & Simo Lagnawi - additional krakebs & dance
Here you can see Majidd give an explanation to one of the tracks on the album
Ethiopian Jazz
(podcast ref: 10:00)
Ethio-jazz is a distinctive musical genre that blends traditional Ethiopian pentatonic scales with Western jazz influences. The genre traces its roots back to Addis Ababa during Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign, where it began to gain popularity. Mulatu Astatke is recognized as a pivotal figure in its development, helping to shape its unique sound in the 1960s. Despite facing suppression under the Derg regime, Ethio-jazz saw a revival in later years, thanks in part to the efforts of Francis Falceto and the inclusion of Astatke’s music in Jim Jarmusch’s film Broken Flowers. The genre continues to thrive, influencing modern music in Ethiopia and beyond.
For further Study on Ephio-jazz:
check out this Interesting article that gives a good overview to the genre:
See this Short documentary which delves into the genre and some of its key players: watch
Mulatu Astatke
(Podcast Ref: 8:01)
The essay below examines the origins and development of Ethio-jazz, focusing on the pivotal role of Mulatu Astatke. Astatke's transnational travels, particularly his time in the US, significantly shaped his musical style, fusing Ethiopian modes with Western jazz influences. The essay traces Astatke's personal history, highlighting his musical training and experiences, and analyzes his most famous composition, "Yekermo Sew," as a microcosm of his cross-cultural musical journey. The author argues that Ethio-jazz represents a unique counter-narrative within the global history of jazz, challenging conventional understandings of its evolution and geographical spread. Finally, it explores the broader implications of Astatke's work within the context of global music and mobility:
Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. 2016. "'Traveling Music:' Mulatu Astatke and the Genesis of Ethiopian Jazz." In Jazz Worlds/World Jazz ed. Philip V. Bohlman and Goffredo Plastino. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/154866278.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Personality and performance
(Podcast Ref: 25:20, 27:28)
'The Role of Time'
This study from 2003 from the American Psychological Association (by Ying Liu et al in China ) looks at emotional responses in the brain (measured by FMRI) of varied musical tempos.
It also investigates the connection between emotional response to the tempo of music in relationship to the physiological rhythms within the body.
Summary:
“Tempo is highly connected with music-evoked emotion and it interacts with musical training during behavioral tasks. This study discussed the emotional experience with valence and arousal ratings and explained the neural findings of fast-, medium-, and slow-tempo music.”
The study also looks at the relationship musicians may have between their playing and different physiological rhythms. Take a look at this extract below:
“nonhuman primates have been found to prefer music with a slow tempo that was similar to their alarm calls of short broadband bursts repeated at very high rates (McDermott and Hauser, 2007), which implies that humans’ emotional experience of music may be the result of a matched-degree between the music tempo and physiological rhythmic features. During sports training, slow music was found to decrease players’ feelings of revitalization and positive engagement (Szabo and Hoban, 2004). Emotional and psychophysiological research had proved that a decrease in tempo led to a decrease in reported arousal and tension and a decrease in heart rate variability (Van der Zwaag et al., 2011; Karageorghis and Jones, 2014). Therefore, the mechanism of slow music’s emotional effect may be the result of its slowed acoustical arousal compared with humans’ physiological rhythms, such as heart rate or walking pace tempo, which may produce negative emotional effects with weak activation in the auditory cortex.”
The Effects of Musical Training On Emotional Response to music
(Podcast Ref: 25:20, 27:28)
This 2018 study investigated how musical tempo affects emotional responses in musicians and non-musicians. Using fMRI, researchers compared brain activity while participants listened to music with fast, medium, and slow tempos. Musicians showed stronger activation in the left inferior parietal lobe and perceived faster music as more positive. Fast music generally evoked more positive valence, while medium tempo elicited the highest arousal. The findings suggest a link between tempo, emotional experience, and musical training, although further research is needed to clarify the exact nature of these interactions:
Personality and performance
(Podcast Ref: 25:20,27:28)
At 23:07 we discuss Ben’s question sent to Todd by email prior to the episode recording about an interest into how Personality may affect one’s playing within a rhythm section.
This study, again from the American Psychological Association in 2003, looks at the associations between musical preferences and personality traits (the big 5; Extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism) in female secondary school students.
The results arising from a data-driven structural equation model show that mellow musical styles are associated with agreeableness, whereas intense and sophisticated music is correlated with extraversion.
Ruth, Nicolas Müllensiefen, Daniel
This study also looks into How the personality trait of curiosity (openness, measured by level of acceptance of novelty-related stress) dictates the level of interest and acceptance of non western music, something briefly discussed in the podcast.
“In Study 2, we asked whether curiosity profiles predict the degree of enjoyment of, and interest in, music from non-Western cultures. We were able to produce clusters similar to the four curiosity profile subgroups previously reported in the literature and show that the subgroup lowest in the experience and expression of curiosity (referred to as the Avoiders) displayed the least appreciation of music, regardless of genre dimension and cultural origin. In contrast, we showed that two subgroups, characterized by relatively high levels of social curiosity and deprivation sensitivity displayed the greatest liking of commonly heard music genres, whereas the subgroup highest in acceptance of novelty-related stress and uncertainty (referred to as the Fascinated) demonstrated the greatest appreciation for non-Western music”
Soca music
(Podcast ref: 13:28)
Old School Soca Music (youtube playlists):
This article ethnographically examines the cultural and political significance of live soca music performances in Trinidad since the 1990s. It analyzes how soca, through collaborations and audience participation, fosters a sense of community and shared identity, exploring the interplay between pleasure, intimacy, and power dynamics. The author argues that soca's "politics of pleasure" are expressed not just through lyrics but also through embodied practices, dance, and social interaction. However, this inclusive atmosphere is also shown to be shaped by exclusions based on class, sexuality, and gender. The study ultimately challenges the traditional view of "the political" in music, demonstrating how pleasure itself can be a site of political negotiation and power.
This academic article analyses how Calypso and Soca music in Trinidad and Tobago function as narratives of resistance against societal norms and historical oppression. The author argues that Carnival itself, with its vibrant music and street performances, serves as a performative ritual of resistance, challenging the status quo established during colonial rule. By examining lyrics from both Calypso and Soca songs, specifically highlighting examples from the 2015 Carnival season, the research demonstrates how these musical genres critique social hierarchies, power structures, and expectations of respectability and reputation, ultimately revealing how music shapes and reflects cultural identity. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining participant observation, interviews, and analysis of song lyrics to support its arguments.
Soca Bands Mentioned:
Top rhythm sections (The ones we got to at least)
The barrett brothers (the wailers) Watch
Toni williams - ron carter Watch
Brian blade - patatuchi (beyond the sound barrier) Watch
Aretha Franklin - bernard Purdie & Chuck Rainey Watch
Philonious monk rhythm section - ben Riley & Larry Gails Watch
The roots - quest love & Ben Kenny (Mark Kelly or Josh Abrams) Watch
Ben & Neil Discuss their approach to Playing in a rhythm section:
Ben discusses his approach to writing music - (podcast ref: 00:44:33)
BEN: “Usually tunes start with a kind of interaction between two rhythmic things. I suppose that could be the pulse and a certain rhythmic thing or it could be two (musical) ‘parts’ or more.
Recently, I'm sort of trying to think more about how those things are not even necessarily rhythmically related to each other at all. Or (how) one's not even a rhythmic thing but there's a certain interaction in time that I find kind of interesting or (that) I'm, just kind of feeling, in an interesting way, in my body.
and then things usually come from figuring out what the bass could do, what could the bass drum (could) do and then you kind of add the flesh around those kind of things and then hopefully (you are able to) maintain that same feeling of whatever intrigued me about that interaction in the first place.”TODD: “So it's kind of it's quite physiological, you feel something rhythmically.
And build outwards from there?”BEN: “I'm trying to do that, yeah, and it usually involves there being a groove, me kind of dancing around my room a bit….… I think what also comes into play is being conscious of the different roles that the different instruments are playing in the music and in the groove. Which things are like small loops, which things are bigger loops, which things hold more tension, which things don't.”
Neils anecdote for his philosophy of groove playing
(podcast ref: 00:19:18)
“You're in a relationship, you’ve just had dinner with your partner, it’s 7pm and you're in this living room together, one person is on their phone and the other is reading a book or whatever… just living parallel together, side by side, and then for a moment you have a conversation, for maybe 30 seconds or whatever but you are present (together), (You are always) in the same room, you are breathing the same air, you’re in the same world as each other… That’s how I approach playing my instrument with others.
Being in front of your instrument (alone, should) means you are present.”
Peers and contemporaries mentioned
Ashley Henry - Piano player and Composer
Ashley Henry’s album Beautiful Vinyl Hunter (2020) earned critical acclaim, including Jazz Japan’s Album of the Year and a BBC 6 Music nomination. Named France Jazz Magazine’s New Jazz Artist of the Year, he has toured with Christine and the Queens and supported Loyle Carner.Combining his London roots with Caribbean influences, Henry’s genre-bending sound is shaped by classical training and the Black radical tradition. He has launched leading UK jazz vocalists, curated The Freestyle Fellowship, and founded his label, Royal Raw Music, in 2023.
John Scott - Drummer
Jon Scott is a dynamic force in the UK and European jazz scenes, celebrated for his versatility and creativity on the drums. A sought-after sideman and collaborator, Jon tours globally with GoGo Penguin and Ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke. He has performed with Sons of Kemet, co-leads Dice Factory, and collaborates with top jazz talents like Ivo Neame, Alexander Hawkins, and Dwight Trible. With over 40 recordings and a decade with Kairos 4Tet, Jon continues to push musical boundaries, playing Sonor Drums and Istanbul Agop Cymbals.
Graham Fox - Drummer
British jazz drummer. Involved in a number of projects - the Fiction trio/quintet, the Fulvio Sigurta Band and The Filthy Six, to name just a few. Played with the likes of Stan Sulzmann, Bobby Wellins, Tim Whitehead and Graham Harvey.
John Edwards - Bass Player
Bass player John Edwards is a highly dedicated and prolific double bassist, renowned in the free jazz scene for his unique and improvisational style. From a young age, Edwards was captivated by the rich, resonant tones of low-pitched instruments, a fascination that set him on his path to a successful international career. Despite lacking formal musical training, he has carved out a distinctive niche, developing a deeply personal approach that resonates with both audiences and fellow musicians.
Edwards’s music is not only a testament to his creative prowess but also a powerful statement on the political and artistic significance of free jazz. His performances, characterized by their emotional depth and spontaneity, have earned him acclaim around the world. Beyond the stage, Edwards continues to explore new creative avenues, driven by a passion that defines his life and work.
(Info taken from here)
Further research & Random Topics:
Hurricane Beryl in Karaku - granada - FUND RAISER: Donate (Podcast Ref: 36:00)
Rhythms of the city (Podcast Ref: 5:34)
Barak schmool (Podcast Ref: 5:34)
Victor Wooten ted talk (Podcast Ref: 6:46)
The Gabrials (Podcast Ref: 19:10)
Watch 1
Watch 2