"Congo Square" Premiere

April 23, 2006 a historic new composition was premiered in New Orleans - "Congo Square", co-written by Ghanaian drum master Yacub Addy and Wynton Marsalis. Presented in historic Congo Square for a wildly enthusiastic crowd, it was intended by it's creators as spiritual support for the Crescent City's recovery from the ravages of Katrina. The ground-breaking work, which combines Ghanaian percussion and vocals with jazz forms, was performed by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Yacub Addy and Odadaa!. Part of the opening selection is currently being used by HBO in it's promo for the new series "Treme".

The historic Congo Square is the only place in America where African slaves were allowed to perform their own music and dance in the 1700s-1800s. It established the roots of American music by providing a means for African music to enter and mingle with American forms.

An exceptional ensemble of artists from Ghana, Odadaa! includes drummers, instrumentalists, singers and dancers of the Ga ethnic group, and a single American-born singer.

Odadaa!'s founder and leader is the irrepressible elder Ga drum master Yacub Addy, a hip and cosmopolitan traditionalist who bucked the status quo to live a life of culture. A drummer, composer and choreographer, Yacub is a master of traditional classics of the Ga people and creator of new works rooted in tradition.

Yacub is senior among the renowned Addy family of drummers from Accra, Ghana, the elder brother of Obo Addy and Mustapha Tettey Addy, the uncle of Aja Addy any many others.

Yacub was the first to stage genuinely traditional music and dance in Ghana in the 1950s. Determined to present his tradition on the world's stages, his art took him from Ghana to Europe and America, where he created the acclaimed performance ensemble Odadaa!, described by the New York Times as an "irresistible, hypnotically charged, earthy and stately treasure."

Addys work preserves and advances the vibrant musical and movement heritage of Ghana-- it is the power of ancient rhythm breathing new life into the 21st century.

Also a respected educator, Yacub Addy lectures in the Music Department at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Credits: "Congo Square" was co-composed by Wynton Marsalis and Ghanaian drum master Yacub Addy. It was performed by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Yacub Addy & Odadaa!. It was produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center. © Jazz at Lincoln Center 2006.
Edited by Amina Addy and Steve Dinyer.

Yacub Addy: http://www.yacubaddy.com
"Congo Square": http://www.yacubaddy.com/wynton.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Yacub Addy
• Odadaa!
• Wynton Marsalis
• jazz
• African jazz
• African music
• African drumming
• Ghana music
• Ghana drumming
• Ga music
• drumming
• Ghana traditional
• ethnic music
• world beat
• Obo Addy
• Mustapha Tettey Addy
• Kusun Ensemble
• Yousou N'Dour
• Toumani Diabate
• Atongo Zimba
• Bernard Woma
• Congo Square
• HBO
• Treme
• Katrina
• African drummer
• Ghana drummer
• Ga drummer
• When the Levees Broke.

[aminaaddy]

I understand you. This video was created as a promo so potential sponsors of concerts could have a quick overview of the Congo Square premiere in New Orleans April 23, 2006. It was effective as it helped sell a second U.S. tour of the "Congo Square" music in 2007. The final concert of the tour at the 07 Montreal Jazz Festival was filmed and the full 2 hour live concert is available on video on amazon.com and internationally through Emarcy Records.

[DonHarMusi]

This ain't the sound of Congo Square. It is so fake!!!!

The Big Chief of Congo Square.

[aminaaddy]

@DonHarMusi Yacub Addy and Wynton Marsalis created this music together. They weren't imitating what was played in Congo Square during slavery - that's not possible.

They were honoring the importance of Congo Square by creating their own compositions. The idea came from Yacub - he wanted to put his traditional Ghanaian music together with jazz to honor Congo Square. LIsten to the whole thing and hear a number of African rhythms combined with jazz in a way never done before.

[Cometsamba]

The video chops the music all up ,This is so common ,people seem to take it for granted,but it;s incredibly disrespctful to the music. Music properly can't do it's job of energizing the connections between people ,and to the earth and ancestors when it's butchered this way.

[aminaaddy]

Respectfully, I'd like to make another point. If you listen to the whole two hours of the music Yacub and Wynton wrote together, you can hear all the African music that was included. For example: You probably heard the clip HBO cut for advertisements for "Treme". In the second part of that piece - the part they DIDN'T play on TV - you can hear a traditional Ga processional rhythm and songs, and it's combined with second line.

[aminaaddy]

I respect that you are an Indian Chief and I know that you know things I don't know. I'm just pointing out two things: 1) You only mention Wynton. The idea & all the African music came from Yacub. 2) Yacub and Wynton never said they're trying to play the music that was played in Congo Square during slavery. Yacub just wanted to combine his African music with jazz because he was inspired by Louis Armstrong, who he saw in Ghana in 1953.

[DonHarMusi]

Wynton sys's he does not know the rhythms that were played in Congo Square. He is right bcause they are secret and he wll never know them.

[DonHarMusi]

You are right it is not posible by Wynton, but is possible by me and the others that know the secret beats. Jock a mo fee nah hay!! Do you knowhat that means? Do you know who Mighty Kootie Fiyo is? You are an outsider with no clue.