Remember when Adam Sandler sang Grow Old With You on a plane with Billy Idol? Or the Boy George wannabe who sings Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me on repeat? That kind of collaboration of wedding singers may only remind you of laughs you shared with friends in the 90s, but there are other types of singers who collaborate for the sake of wedding-like festivity, and create an incredible fusion of music.
That’s what happened when Scottish fiddler, Griselda Sanderson, and Gambian griot, Juldeh Camara collaborated. The duo, although hailing from 3000 miles apart, collaborated to make dance music that is festive enough to be played at weddings.
The kind of festivity that Sanderson with her Scottish origins tries to capture, is that of a celidh. A celidh is the Scottish version of a house party - informal in gathering, but traditional in repertoires.
The Fulani music that Camara is inspired by is the music of the Fulanese people, which has a specific style and variety for each occasion. The Fulani have a special song for when herding cattle, another for preparing food and a song for every part of their day’s chores and life’s events.
Other artists who have popularized Fulani music globally, include Baba Maal, who uses a 21 string Kora (which is the West African version of a guitar and a harp combined) a French folk harp and mixes it into electric pop.
Camara and Sanderson however adopt a less electronic and more folksy style to their musical outfit, Julaba Kunda, which when translated means Trading Company.
In an interview at the World Music Festival, Sanderson said ‘To our surprise, the rhythm of this Fulani music is just like a Scottish or Irish jig - even our fiddle bows go the same direction!"
To check out more music from Julaba Kunda, check out their MySpace page.
http://www.myspace.com/julaba-kunda