WEEKEND READ Legends -The magnificent Senemie Part II In the last edition of The Legends, we started focusing on Senemie, a living legend, a poet, composer, music arranger and teacher, a keyboard wizard and master of the guitar. A core member of the folded Super Eagles Band, and one of the founding fathers of Ifangbondi Band and inventor of the World acclaimed Afro-Manding Sounds; he is an inspired musician, an inspiring innovator and a mystical artist. Senemie invented methods, music business models, and devices and turned each into significantly larger cultural and artistic phenomena. A visionary and focal point for the Ifangbondi band and a symbol of Gambian Greatness, Senemie is the uncompromising genius who will go down in the pantheon of Great African thinkers alongside the late Dr Lenrie Peters, Leopold Sedar Senghore, Camara Laye (author of the African Child), David Diop (author Africa My Africa), Dr. Florence Mahoney, and the late Teacher Henry Man Joof. Let us continue from where we stop. In 1965, The Gambia gained her Independence from the British imperialist Empire but the political landscape in Africa was not as firm but by the time the clock hit 1970, the continent was fully revolutionized after being derailed by the British because of there selfish interest, supremacy and imperialism. The revolution in Ghana, Guinea and Mali was a wakeup call;, and the rise of the Mau-Mau in East Africa, The Algerian revolution lead by Ahmed Ben Bella ( described by Franz Fanon in the Wretched of the Earth), the Crises in the Congo that took the life of Patrice Lumumba, the visitation of Che Guvera to Africa, the formation of the PLO under Yasser Arafat and the strength of the ANC under Albert Lutuli, Walter Susuli ,Albertb Lutuli, Winnie Mandela, Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo,by this time the Gambians at the forefront of the dynamic African revolution. Revolutionary African bands visited The Gambia and notably national band like the Bembeya Jazz NATIONAL, the NATIONAL high-life band of Ghana lead by the veteran E.T. Mensah, the NATIONAL Congolese Band RYCO JAZZ, they all visited the Gambia and sang their revolution songs and sensitizing the Gambian public about African unity. All these bands were national band and the government of their countries were responsible for paying them monthly salaries, opened recording studios, arranged musical festivals abroad, buy them instruments, buy them house and car and documented them for the future generations to come so that the youths can emulate them and have guidelines to study what they have successfully invented and that have excelled in the cause of time. There were also political leaders like Stockley Carmichael, the President of the Black Panther Party, Ahmed Sekou Toure of Guinea, the Son of Elijah Muhamed , leader of the Black Muslims in the USA, John Tettega, Ghanaian Pan-African trade unionist, King Oliver Big Band, Taj Mahal, Jimmy Cliff (Reggae Hall of Fame) and Alex Haley, the writer of Roots and a team of the most notable educators of the African American community in the USA. These visits had a huge impact on the minds of the Gambian people and Ifangbondi incorporated all these idioms, philosophies, concepts, ideologies as the main core of their purpose of being in music. The music was made to propagate the unity of ONE-Africa. Senemie started to play the balafong under the mentor ship of Habibou Manneh and Sana Beyai of Somita Village, Badou Jobe started the Kora instrument with the late Yankuba Saho and the styles of Sunjulou Cisokko, both Badou Jobe and Pa Njie Bass studied the Simbing bass instruments commonly known as the Furakafu and they also studied the Kintong from a Jola Konting player called Bernard. Each Sunday Badou Jobe and Seneme and sometimes together with Pa Touray would spend their Sundays at the DARKA (Palm Wine Bush Bar) near Badala Park to play with Bernard in order to master the Kontring. Even Laba Sosseh visited the Darka in one of his trips from New York in search of his roots in the Gambia. The Ifangbondi percussion section was sacred. Seneme joined the percussionist team to create authenticity in the percussion line up. They played Jola Bugarabu, Mandingo Barawulo, wollof Mbalax and Creole Asiko. They mastered all the percussion in every tribe and created wonder drumming which Seneme as band conductor supervised to perfection. Senemie single-handedly transformed the roots of the Afro Manding sounds and along with it changed his name to Kunon Jarjutay. He was a meditation, spent the early morning hours of dawn with his eyes closed and worshiping the Almighty God before touching his instruments. To Senemie music was holy and a way to praise God. Senemie still carries a keyboard but not like the days when he had two keyboards. He carried his keyboard just like a Kora player would carry his instrument. Senemie is a spiritualist and he never eyed the money. He gave most of his income to griots and makers of traditional music and makers of instruments. He would pay their way to come to Banjul on weekends, gave them accommodation, nourishment and transportation and invited them to the Tropical Night Club to perform at the HEWAREH program on Sundays. This program was sa school of music and a talent center for many young Gambian musicians. This was a fine production by Ifangbondi and many musicians graduated from here. Seneme is a stage showman with formidable dance steps and great theatrical movements that were the grace of the 70s, 80s and the 90s in America like the Camel-walk, the Kung fu and the numerous dance movements that were only comparable to the original inventors of the dances. The Senegambian youths copied these dances and posed the forms as printed in the salute Les copins magazines from French icons like Johnny Halliday, Claude Francois, Micheal Palnareff, Adamo and company. Senemie was the eye catcher of the youths of Ghana, the Gambia and Senegal as trendsetter, tastemaker and a fashion icon and dance mogul. In the days of Atlantic Stax records there were hits like Hip-Hug her by Booker T & the M.Gs and Soul finger by the Bar Kays and Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Cornlley of Stax, these dances were only seen in America (since there were no US TV channels in the region), Senemie thought the dance to the youths by forming his own brand of these dances in his own way by creating the slide & drag moves and the Full & flip moves. He was the Apex of artistry, People came from miles around to see him play his music and do the dance of the tunes and the next day everyone would pick up the dance. He was the zenith of music and dance in both Senegal and the Gambia and he was seen by many as a demi-god. In technology, he was the Midas and had the touch. He advanced the sound of the keyboard creating an oscillation from the Leslie-speaker system and the Flanger synthesizer effects that changed the sound of music in the region. He brought in the Sounds of Moody Blues, Emerson and Palmer and Pink Floyd into African Music. He influenced the keyboardist Ghanaian Keyboardist of the Osibisa band Ki Ki Gyan who was later introduced to UNESCO by former UN secretary Mr. Kofi Anan to sensitize the youths of Africa on drug abuse. KiKi Gyan was allocated with over 10 million dollars but Ki Ki a reformed drug addict sadly died in the cause. In Ghana all these guys used to watch the genius of Senemie from his stage performances to his fashion wear and the copied and imitated every move of his soul. He ordered the right instruments for the right sound for Ifangbondi, the Moog synthesizer and the Hammond organ sound was the centrepiece of the Ifangbondi Sound. He also assisted the Ifangbondi sound engineers and repair technicians, as well as the master technician of that time the late John Dalia. Senemie would set up the stage microphones, balance the sound before every show and conducted the band in every piece before the band begin. He was the Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven. He was responsible for mixing the sound and he was also the recording engineer for Ifangbondi on every recording session. He had the patience for the right sound and selected the repertoire for every occasion. He was also the spokesperson for the band and conducted his interviews and business meeting in a professional manner. He communicated as an astute businessman. Senemie is the last standing soldier in keeping the imperial fortress of the Afro Manding Imperial temple. Today he is seen like Amadeus Mozart, as a waist because the master know too much. A master who knows too much never worries about the material world for the purpose of wealth. He is a just human being and pure in both intention and heart; a better heart than a gracious body. How can anyone dash a favor to an artist? The reward for his creativity as a national advancement is a national reward. The artist is the motor of every society as we locally see the griot, they inspire people to invent and to work and they settle our nerves when we are stressed out, tired, empty and filled with guiltiness. They are the vain of life and the messengers’ God sent to us to uphold the standard of goodness against the odds of society, low self-esteem, and evil ways. These artists are the teachers of mankind through creative invention that the ordinary human cannot know naturally. They are Saints and prophets and our responsibility is to look after them, just like we look after our Marabouts, Sering, Imams and Bishops and make them our pilots of life. SenemIe is a prophet and history will judge him fairly. If we fail in our duty to him, he will be another prophet crucified by mankind. Hail Seneme, the Prince of misic and stand gracious. Gambia be grateful to him, as he has been to The Gambia and open wide the gate of reward. Senemie continues to maintain a music life. He can also be heard adding his distinctive voice and keyboard to many of the Super Eagles and Ifangbondis recordings. He is the king of them all! Author: Oko Drammeh Picture: Oussou Njie (In white) & Senemie in cap Senemie & The Super Eagles The Pop Hit Single Mantra The Album Ifang Bondi Band and Senenie,
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:23:39 +0000