Last week I went to listen to a talk a neighbour was giving to a local WI group. She runs a small charity in Rwanda in her spare time, raising money for very practical projects. Her talk was illustrated by some great photos. I hadn't realised that Rwanda was a green and very pleasant land - lakes, forests and hills. One photo looked just like the Peak District, until I realised the earth was a deep dark red. Burundi used to be part of Rwanda, and I guess the landscape is similar. Many years ago I saw the Burundi drummers play in the courtyard space at the Piece Hall in Halifax. It was a surreal and inspiring experience. I had first come across their music on Joni Mitchell's Hissing of Summer Lawns, possibly my first experience of world music in the west, though I do remember that John Peel occasionally played unusual tracks from far flung places.
On that fine summer evening the distinctive rhythm of the Burundi drums echoed through the galleries of the Piece Hall and round the hills of Halifax. I appreciate now that the landscape of Calderdale may not have seemed as alien to the performers as I had imagined.
Nicky, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the Burundi drummers are still rocking. I saw them last July at a music festival in a small town in the Dordogne. They were sensational, and easily the best gig of all. Mind you. the Piece Hall must have been a terrific stage for them too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, by the way, for educating me about their appearance on Hissing of Summer Lawns. Not a lot of people know that.