One good thing about all concerts is their unknown output. You usually know where and how you start, with a band at a certain time and place but you have no idea what your state will be when the last chords echo in the venue. It’s bit like a ghost train, a bit frightening at the beginning even if the issue is supposedly safe. And going to see Justin Adams Trio was more of a flying carpet tour, I came out having seen more, having heard more, knowing more about music.
Justin Adams trio is composed of Justin Adam (guitar), Juldeh Camara (riti) and Salah Dawson Miller (percussion). Together they fuse rock, blues and African-tainted music, their sound reminded me a bit of Tinariwen, the Tuareg band. That is not completely incongruous since Justin Adam produced all their albums. I spent the concert sitting on this flying carpet, flying above the deserts, oasis and remote tribes. One of them was the Fulani, nomadic people in the Sahel, precisely where Juldeh Camara originates. They were using instruments never seen before like Khalam or riti and their chants were bewitching. During that journey Justin Adam took time to explain how he came to such music, the origin of the different instruments and how he met his companions.
Here are some of the instruments I discovered that night:
The khalam (a.k.a Xalam, N’goni) looks like a small guitar, with fewer strings (picture on the right). A Khalam can sound like a bass or a kora depending on how you strum it.
The riti (nyanyeru) sounds like a violin or sometimes a flute, picture on the left. Listen here
Tama (talking drum), hit with a curved stick, it is possible to change the pitch by squeezing the ropes around the instrument (see picture on the right below). They take their name from the fact that they produce sounds similar to human voices.
If you’re interested by Western African instrument (with audio excerpts), I suggest this site.
Justin Adams trio will be touring in Scandinavia soon and will be at some festivals next summer, check them out.
