Spiritual reggae and traditional African music.

11 MP3 Songs in this album (50:52) !
Related styles: REGGAE: Pop-Reggae, WORLD: African- West

People who are interested in Midnite should consider this download.


Details:
The groundbreaking recording is a collaboration between Vaughn Benjamin of St. Croix, Virgin Islands based- Midnite, one of reggae's most stimulating lyricists and potent vocalists whose lyrics address historical paradox, the fundamentals of ancient wisdom, Rastafari and the African in the Diaspora and Youssoupha Sidibe of Senegal, a kora player with a diverse musical palette and member of the mystic Sufi Baay Fall community of Senegal.

The evolution of the project has its origins on the performance stage and ultimately in the individual artists' parallel efforts towards healing and cultural understanding. The initial idea came about when they met at a performance in Northern California during the fall of 2007. Youssoupha Sidibe performed after Midnite did on the evening's bill. When Youssoupha began to play, the members of Midnite began to participate by vocalizing during the kora performance. On that same night, Vaughn Benjamin asked Youssoupha whether he would like to record together and they headed in to the studio.

The two artists then made plans to continue the recording process and Youssoupha traveled to Midnite's home on the island of St. Croix. Over a period of a month in December in 2007, the tracks for FOR ALL were laid down. The recording engineer for this collaboration is Keyronie Allembert, and the songs were recorded at his Make Moves studio. Keyronie played an integral part in the project, contributing to songwriting and arrangements. He has done many recordings and projects with Vaughn over the years. Originally from St. Croix, Keyrone returned to the island after a period of time spent in Florida. Youssoupha describes the vibes as very strong during the recording process explaining, âWe were very excited when we were doing this, it was like we were making history.â

What the project signifies is the first instance where African traditional artist and a modern reggae artist have collaborated on a full-length recording that has been made available to the record buying public. As Youssoupha notes: "I went to St. Croix to bring the tradition back." And the evocative nature of this set of recordings is noted as he recalls, "When I went there, it was making me feel like I am doing something important, I didn't even hesitate, I was thinking that this my home and those are my people.â

These healing messages are supported by subtle, yet dramatic keyboards and percussion that weave the vibrant fabric of a unique set of songs that stir deep sentiments of cultural healing and sharing. The recording consists of traditional kora played by a virtuoso instrumentalist Youssoupha Sidibe, and the poignant lyrics, and soaring, robust, vocal cadence of Vaughn Benjamin. Vaughnâs vocals and mystic concepts are punctuated with Youssouphaâs chants in his native Wolof language on two of the selections.

Vaughn Benjamin is in essence a wordsmith, forging concepts of cultural awareness and healing; addressing the sacredness of life and our cultural evolution through the lens of Rastafari and ancient wisdom principles. He has contributed vocals and production on over thirty albums and has published a book of poems entitled Koll Pekude. With the band Midnite, founded by Vaughn and his brother, Ron Benjamin, he has made multiple tours and festival appearances including one at a recent concert in Senegal, Africa. Midnite has toured South America, Europe, and North America extensively.

As Youssoupha and Vaughn developed their collaboration, the musicians shared a mutual understanding that the vocal style that was being formed around the kora had an authenticity expected of a singer accustomed to singing with the challenging intricacies of the kora. As Youssoupha reflects on the recording process for For All he notes, "It is not easy to sing with the kora, but he didn't have difficulty because he sings like a Fulani. "The kora is a mystical instrument, the sound takes you somewhere"

The music of Youssoupha Sidibe is deeply infused with a longing for the full realization of divine love in this world. The artistâs musical career began over twenty years ago in his home of Senegal, West Africa, where he was trained as a kora player at the National Music Conservatory of Senegal. Since his arrival on the international music circuit, Youssoupha has recorded, performed, and/or collaborated with in addition to Midnite, artists such as India Arie, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Charles Neville, Future Man, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and Matisyahu. Youssouhpa Sidibe has appeared on the stages of many notable venues such as Reggae on the River, Manhattan Center, Earthdance, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, The Warfield and African Festival of the Arts â Chicago.