These days the borders between musical worlds and genres are blurring at an ever increasing rate. When a musician who was born a Jew in Israel—and now lives in America—who grew up playing the music of African Americans makes a recording with Malian musicians that combines his native and learned traditions with their music, well perhaps we are finally hearing world music.
Up until now when we've called something world music we've really meant that its from outside the boundaries defined by our language and cultural tradition.
It's become so ridiculous that a Native American recording in his own country, where his ancestors have lived for hundreds (if not thousands of years), has his music classified as world. On the other hand a group who records material derived from traditional anglo/Irish folk tunes is called Americana. It's even funnier when you consider that the latter are using instruments that originated in Africa (the banjo) and Spain (guitar), while the former's instruments originated in North America.
What kind of world are we talking about when we say world music? A world where we work together to create something of harmony and beauty? Or a world divided into those who are like us, those who are different, and not those quite as important?
Oran Etkin was born in Israel and fell in love with the music of Louis Armstrong when he was nine years old and has been playing jazz ever since. However, at the age of nineteen he also started playing with Joe Camara, a percussionist from Mali. While it was Camara who broadened Etkin's musical horizons by inviting him to Mali to live and play with him, it was Balla Koyate, a balafon (xylophone) player from Mali, and Makane Kouyate, percussion and vocals, who he joined forces with in 2003 to begin the process that has resulted in the production of his new release, Kelenia on the Motema label.
The title of the disc, Kelenia, is a word in the Bambara language meaning the love felt by those who are different from each other. This is highly appropriate when you consider the backgrounds of the original trio, and those who have joined them on this recording. Of course the music is an expression of the sentiments expressed in the disc's title as well as the different backgrounds that come through in the music. Not only do we hear the obvious African and American influences, but in Etkin's clarinet playing one can also hear the echo of Klezmer and faint traces of Eastern Europe wafting through as well.
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