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The streets of Bamako, Mali |
Becoming Shaka Diabate, Stories from Mali
Since the release of my album Stories to Tell in 2007, I have developed a strong passion for storytelling and capturing new stories.
Visiting Africa with its vivid culture of music and oral traditions has become a yearning over the years and was finally made possible through a grant from Meet the Composer.
So on December 17, 2008 I found myself soaring over the Sahara desert at around 3 am and after being awakened from a deep sleep I peered out of my window feeling the descent through the dark smoky clouds above Bamako, Mali.
Walking off the red-eye express I felt the dry Sub-Saharan breeze with its fruitful climate that I would have to learn to befriend.
read the whole story...
COURAGE
From “Breastplate II”, an ancient Celtic invocation
I call on the seven daughters of the sea
Who shape the threads of long life
Three deaths be taken from me
Three lives given to me
Seven waves of plenty poured for me
May ghosts not injure me on my journey
in my radiant breastplate without stain
May my name not be pledged in vain
May death not come to me until I am old
I call on Senach of the seven lives
Whom fairy women suckled on the breasts of god fortune
May my seven candles not be quenched
I am an invincible fortress
I am an unshakeable cliff
I am a precious stone
I am the symbol of seven riches
MORPHEUS
From an Irish Gaelic aisling or dream poem called "Magic Mist"
I lay down dejected and weeping
In a sheltered wood laden with nuts, by myself
Praying to the bright King of Glory
And no word but mercy on my lips
By my side sat a beautiful fairy maid
In figure and form like a saint
In her face were bright rose
And white - and I know not which lost
Morpheus assumes any shape and form
For me it all started after he put a belt around my life pulling me out alive of that place that I just could not get out of. When I awoke the buckle snapped turning away imperial death in frustration.
At first a member of the clouds and had not to far to come at call and make a round to the circuit of the near dead to deal occasional smiles to lives like mine
Morpheus introduced himself as Dr. Sleepytime and said, Let me show you my magical tricks, that are right here in my pocket and up my sleeve. I come to rest your bones and soul and deliver poppy or charms to help you sleep and
after you will awake and death shall be no more: death shall die
dr. sleepytime was the opposite of a stage musician and gave the illusion that has the appearance of truth. he said, I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.
dr. sleepytime said it is time to come with me. I shortly realized we were on our way and passed a field of gazing grain and passed the setting sun or rather it passed us. we passed before a house that seemed to swell right from the ground and the roof was scarcely visible with its front door open like a barn.
Inside laid a long Persian carpet that dr sleeytime they assumed form of. the carpet rose in the air and brought me to the living room where a long muskeet appeared upon a mantle. when it fired the great musket shook a coffin that layed before made of pewter. Finally Morpheus rested me back on the ground and brought me inside a palace where I met a woman laid on her stomach floating on water and feathered pillows.
she was hailing at a large picture frame that sat above a glowing fireplace. each time she hailed at the picture the frame changed. it first it became a hot tub that spewed large bubbles in the air. next an old mummified pharoah emerged from the steamy background and took a rest among the spewing bubbles. shortly after that when ever bubbles bursted they echoed releasing healing overtones creating a rich harmonious lullaby that nobody probably has ever heard. When the music ended Dr. Sleepytime said, you must breath into this mask. so I did and next I found myself as I was just before.
(Sean Noonan)
STORY OF JONES
Come all you rounders if you want to hear
The story of a brave engineer
Casey Jones was the rounder's name
On the "six-eight" wheeler, boys, he won his fame
The caller called Casey at half past four
He kissed his wife at the station door
He mounted to the cabin with the orders in his hand
And he took his farewell trip to that promis'd land
Casey Jones, stepped in the cabin
Casey Jones, orders in hand
Casey Jones, stepped in the cabin
Steppin' the cabin with his orders in hand
He looked at the water and the water was low
He looked at the watch, and the watch was slow
He looked at the fireman, and the fireman said,
"Boy, we're gonna reach 'Frisco but we'll all be dead."
Casey pulled up at Reno hill
His blew at the crossing with an awful shrill
The switchman knew by the engine's moan
That the man at the throttle was Casey Jones
Casey Jones reached that certain place
And old No. 9 stared him straight in the face
He turned to his fireman, said "Boy you'd better jump,
Cause there're two locomotives and they're bound to bump"
Well, Mrs. Jones sat at her bed
She got the telegram that her poor husband was dead
She told the children, "Hush your cryin and go back to bed'
Since you've got another papa
You've got another papa on the Salt Lake Line"
MAYROSE
Mayrose called me to bed
Since tomorrow she said
You'll be the king for the day instead
The dreams that night were full of snacks
Where I found myself among a stack
Of a hundred flap jacks
The flap jacks looked at me
Their eyes made of syrupy glee
With Mayrose watching me
All of a sudden came a playful burp
Next the rain ended
Soon it cleared up
Then the other part of me
Had to have a turn
To be king for a day instead
LOST IN GUNTER'S WALD
It was a wonderful morning in the mountains
And the sun came up like a fiery ball
When all of a sudden a sunbeam shot through the wall
And tickled the nose of a man
Waking him with such a loud sneeze
Throwing him out of bed with a wheeze
It was Gunter who was tickled
He scratched his head and said
"Who was it that nearly tickled me to death?"
as he walked outside and the fiery sun peered down on him again
where he wandered into the wald to find the awakener
In the wald Gunter began to stare
The plants and animals sneered back
Suddenly he was tickled by a family of mushrooms
Throwing him up high on his back
He said, "Who was it that nearly tickled me to death?"
They replied, "It wasn't us
But we can show you who it was
Come on now, just eat us"
Gunter quickly swallowed the family of mushrooms
And he soon found out
The answer came from the birds
He soon understood the words
This is what they had to say...
-wandering storytelling with Gunter Janovsky
MASANA CISSE
1300 AD BAMAKO, MALI
Masana Cisse was the king of the Malian Empire and was a very rich man and his appetites were as great as his fortune. Masana fell madly in love with a young woman engaged to a poor farmer, and forced her parents to break the engagement and marry him. But the day of the wedding, as his bride walked towards him, he suddenly was taken deathly ill. When she reached him he was already dead. Masana didn't realize that every time we give way to our passions, we move a little closer to our destiny's end: death
The hour of the Destiny has now struck
For a great Lord
The hour of the Destiny has struck
For Massana Cissé (bis) !
Every day here on earth,
[When we give way to our passions]
We make one step beyond toward our destiny ...
Here on earth
Who can know his destiny ?
As far as you may be rich,
You will not be able to prevent
The achievement of your destiny
Even you're born under the most lucky star,
You will not be able to prevent
The achievement of your destiny.
And there she is approaching, the bride
So desired by the Great Lord !
And there it is, approaching its last hour
Ah, Mariama Djanke !
Ah, Massana Cisse,
The world !
Ah, your bride, Cisse !
Because of a woman, a kingdom may rise or fall,
And only one king alone cannot finish a whole world...
DR SLEEPYTIME
As I felt the sun rise through the walls I was able to escape my own unconsciousness. A man appeared in front of me, saving me from my pain and anguish. He called himself Dr. Sleepytime and was there every time, bringing me to a world of magical dreams
As I felt the sun rise through the walls I was able to escape my own unconsciousness. A man appeared in front of me, saving me from my pain and anguish. He called himself Dr. Sleepytime comforting me by bringing me to a world of magical dreams
NOONBREWS
from Susan McKeown (translation)
In the morning, of course, while I was walking quickly
I saw the beautiful fair one coming towards me
I asked my love what she was about
"Or would you elope with me, my darling, right now?"
"Let me have you as a husband, o nice young man
And I don't know if my love is coming back alive."
"Where did he go from you, o pretty young woman
That this deep loneliness has fallen upon you?
You'd be better off to tell me how long
And run away with me, love, without delay"
"Give me your hand good young man
I embrace you a hundred times
Here are the soft tops of my hands for you with love and with a kiss
And we will go to the alehouse until daybreak to drink."
ESSPI
I’ve never seen, no I’ve never seen
A little elephant leave his Mama.
Oh God! These are the words, this is the meaning of the words.
The elephant child went off without the permission of its Mama, and every child must respect its mother
Sean, oh Sean, oh God, the little one left for the jungle in Africa
Listen to this, The little elephant went to the jungle, and on the way back he got lost.
Every time you have to do something you must never forget to let oyur mother know, you must always let your mother know.
Words are difficult in this world. Finding a good mother is very difficult.
With his great power, no one knows God. You must live, because no one knows God.
The young elephant finds his path again, now he comes back home.
Listen words are difficult. You must know the word is truth, yes truth, oh truth.
You must respect your Mama, Eachone must respect his Mama.
PUMPKINHEAD
Pumpkinhead was the interglactic food fighting champion of the universe
he hasn't lost a fight for the last 1925 years
THE SONG OF THE TEA
from Susan McKeown
HE: You’re always talking about the tea
And the day when you do have it no one sees it but you
Away with you and get tobacco for me, for your own good
Or I’ll share with you the handle of the spade
SHE: How can I? Where can I get it for you?
But by tying two hens that had eggs last night?
What you had at Christmas you haven’t paid for yet
And what I have is little enough for the children
HE: I’m thinking that it’s a miserable way
To be working for you and getting nothing out of it
If I went to any man in the country
I’d get tobacco from him and some pay
SHE: I am a long time keeping the house
And you should not notice my drink or my eating
If I should not drink every morning the full of a twopenny skillet
There wouldn’t be a drop in my breast for the child
LOOK
from Susan McKeown
Irish Gaelic lyrics from a ninth century poem
Black eyebrow, smooth tresses
Blue of eye, glowing cheek
Wind stirring your parted locks
Fine women at the fair watching you
Married women pretending not to look
While in front of you they do their hair
With her fingers in her hair
One of them is giving you her gaze
THE RETURN OF THE PEANUT BUTTER QUEEN from Susan McKeown
Tara
This poem is for you
Mother of everything that lives
Heart of the land
Queen of the nuts
Queen of the woods
Beside the Boann
Queen of the lakes
Queen of the rivers
ILYLA is the Queen of the land of peanut
ILYLA is a powerful leader that brought together all the peanuts creating the kingdom of peanut through teaching the magic to make peanut butter.
ILYLA created great prosperity and hope for the land of peanut
All of a sudden one day ILYLA was over thrown by an evil war lord who caused chaos to the land of peanut
ILYLA quickly fled for her life leaving the land of peanut in exile.
The land of peanut was a troubled place for some time until one day all the peanuts joined together to overthrow the evil war lord
After the land of peanut regained it's freedom they created this song so ILYLA would know it's safe to return to her kingdom.
Eventually when all the peanuts sung together ILYLA heard that it was safe to come back to the land of peanut.
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