Benin RPCV Erin Sweeney writes: Gangbe Brass Band is a hit with Voodoo jazz



Gangbe means "the sound of metal" in local language Fon, and refers to the components of the eight-member group: Three trumpets, one trombone, one tenor saxophone and one sousaphone round out the band's jazzy sound, which is then draped over the backbone of more traditional Beninese beats provided by Gangbe's two percussionists. Members of Gangbe had no formal musical training growing up; they learned from their parents and their friends who were French-trained military band members. Gangbe members were exposed to artists such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Wynton Marsalis through BBC West African broadcasts, friends and trips to the American Cultural Center in their now hometown of Cotonou. These influences, mixed with the voodoo beats indigenous to Benin, give the group, which formally formed in 1994, the unique Gangbe sound Dehoumon said Beninese youths are starting to imitate.

Benin RPCV Erin Sweeney writes: Gangbe Brass Band is a hit with Voodoo jazz

Voodoo jazz: From Carnegie Hall to Benin, Gangbe Brass Band is a hit

By Erin Sweeney Sun-News reporter

Article Launched: 03/29/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

"Americans like our music a lot," professed Alphanase Dehoumon, one of three trumpet players for the Gangbe Brass Band, a Benin-based jazz group appearing April 5 at the Rio Grande Theatre.

Dehoumon's statement, delivered in a French-language phone interview from Chicago on Wednesday, isn't unwarranted lip service. Just ask the band members about their 2002 performance at New York's Carnegie Hall when they were scheduled to perform after a philharmonic orchestra. Dehoumon recalled listening to the orchestra, amazed, wondering, "Are we up to this?"

"But you know what happened?" Dehoumon said. "We were surprised because afterward, (the orchestra members) asked us, 'where did you learn to play those instruments?' These formally trained musicians ` they bought our CD. That night, a lot of people bought our CD."

Gangbe means "the sound of metal" in local language Fon, and refers to the components of the eight-member group: Three trumpets, one trombone, one tenor saxophone and one sousaphone round out the band's jazzy sound, which is then draped over the backbone of more traditional Beninese beats provided by Gangbe's two percussionists.

Dehoumon said the members of Gangbe had no formal musical training growing up; they learned from their parents and their friends who were French-trained military band members. Gangbe members were exposed to artists such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Wynton Marsalis through BBC West African broadcasts, friends and trips to the American Cultural Center in their now hometown of Cotonou. These influences, mixed with the voodoo beats indigenous to Benin, give the group, which formally formed in 1994, the unique Gangbe sound Dehoumon said Beninese youths are starting to imitate.

The group is also influenced by rock, hip-hop and R&B. According to Dehoumon, music "is like making a sauce. You bring in a lot of ingredients to make it taste good."

The Gangbe Brass Band has recorded three albums to date.

"In each album, there's an evolution," Dehoumon said. In its first album, there is a stronger traditional influence, the second album reflects a development in the music and in the words and on the third album, "Whendo," released in 2005, more emphasis was placed on the messages of the lyrics. According to Dehoumon, music "can heal you on a spiritual level."

Among Gangbe's present musical missions is to remind people of their identities, of their roles in life and of Africa's presence. One of the reasons Las Cruces was chosen as a venue, Dehoumon said, was because it is "a town that has held onto a good part of history."

As with all Gangbe concerts, Dehoumon said he hopes the Las Cruces performance will connect with African-Americans and "remind them that despite the distance, there is always a place for them in Africa." Everyone can help in the development of Africa, as well. "You can be far away," Dehoumon said, "but you can still be with us."

The group will begin recording their fourth album in Belgium this summer, and are inviting guest musicians they've met in their world tours to join them.

Erin Sweeney, who has lived and worked in Benin through the Peace Corps, can be reached at esweeney@lcsun-news.com

If you go

Who: Gangbe Brass Company

When: 8 p.m. April 5

Where: Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall

How much: $12.50 to the general public and $10 for NMSU students faculty and staff, and children and senior citizens.

Info: 646-1420

Listen to Gangbe's music: http://gangbebrassband.calabashmusic.com

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: March, 2007; Peace Corps Benin; Directory of Benin RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Benin RPCVs; Music; Art; Peace Corps Library; Peace Corps Countries of Service; Peace Corps Original Sources; Peace Corps Message Board; Peace Corps Headlines

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