MUSIC – FOOD FOR THE SOUL
WASHINGTON D.C. – Music is a very big part of my life. I cannot imagine life without it. Just about everyone has a favourite genre, and hardly anyone is immune to rhythms that set our feet tapping, sometimes unconsciously. I have always been a big fan of music from the 50s and 60s, especially Motown. The songs were so good that I used to think that by the time the millennium rolled around, all the best music would have been written and people would run out of new ideas. I’m sorry to say that today I really think that has happened, but then I remember how my parents always used to say they couldn’t understand how anyone could listen to the hits of the 60s without going crazy. I guess I’m turning into my parents now!
When I was twelve (1967) my father made me a transistor radio in a Swan matchbox, complete with an earphone. He was in the army and we were stationed in Germany. I used to look forward to 8pm, when Radio Luxembourg would be broadcasting the latest Top 20 hits. The more romantic the songs the better I liked them. Among my favourite artistes were Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Martha Reeves, Stevie Wonder and Englebert Humperdinck. I was also a huge fan of Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis. Perhaps I liked them because they had classical training, and I had grown up in a household where there was no television and my parents liked to listen to classical music on the record player.
In Germany, opera is very popular, and I went to see several while we lived in Bielefeld. I developed an appreciation for the music and soon had a few favourites; Carmen, The Magic Flute, and La Boheme among them. At Christmas time the angelic tones of the Vienna Boys Choir would fill our home with seasonal joy, and to this day Christmas doesn’t feel right to me without listening to them singing Silent Night, Holy Night.
I am sure many of my readers would agree that at some time or another, music has been more than just entertainment; that it has had a deeper meaning. Perhaps a reminder of a loved one or the salve for a wounded heart after a bad break-up. Or perhaps the therapy needed after a very traumatic event.
I find that there are sounds that help me to relax when I am stressed or tired and others that will literally make me cringe. For me, the pitch and tone of music have to be very soothing – slow, moody, almost sensual. In the 1990s I began listening to Aaron Neville, a singer with a voice like a unique musical instrument. There is love in his songs and so much beauty that he sometimes moves me to tears. I have read stories of people who were going through really bad times who heard songs of his on a radio, and they say it changed their whole outlook on life. One person even said that he had been suicidal, but heard Aaron sing and it brought him back to his senses.
In the year 2000, August 3rd to be exact, I experienced a traumatic incident. I won’t go into details but it is enough to say that it was terrifying. It took quite a while to fall asleep that night, and when I woke in the morning I clearly heard Aaron singing the most beautiful song. It was in my head, but was so very clear and real. The song, “Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue”, is a Catholic child’s prayer. I found it all the more poignant and meaningful when I read that Aaron Neville had put it to music the night before he checked himself into a rehab centre for drug addiction. The pain that he was going through with his addiction must have been overwhelming, and yet out of his deepest hurt came what seemed to me to be one of the most beautiful melodies I had ever heard.
It isn’t just melodic love songs and classical arias that move me, though. While I lived in The Bahamas, I grew to love the traditional music of Junkanoo, the festival that is celebrated every Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. There is so much history behind Junkanoo, and so much talent and dedication that go into the production of costumes, choreography of the dances and rehearsals of the music. The spectacle of the colourful parade, which begins at midnight and goes on until the morning hours, is enhanced by the deep rhythmic pounding of dozens of 55 gallon drums with goatskins stretched over them, the symphony of horns, the oompah of the tubas, piercing whistles and the clamour of hundreds of cowbells being shaken in unison producing the kalik-kalik sound that is so unique to Junkanoo. I have never experienced music so feral, sensual, compelling, and exciting all at once. If you are not moving to the rhythm of Junkanoo, you must be dead!
It has always amazed me that Junkanoo is not better known worldwide. Most of the Caribbean islands have their own unique style of music – Jamaica has Reggae (Bob Marley of course), Trinidad and Tobago is known for Soca and Calypso (the Mighty Sparrow comes to mind). The Bahamas is no exception. There is a wealth of talent in the tiny archipelago nation of less than 400,000 inhabitants. The Bahamas celebrates its Independence Day on July 10 and wherever there are Bahamians living abroad, the diplomatic missions will host events to show off the culture of the islands. Having seen this for myself in Washington DC, I can honestly say that The Bahamas embassy, small as it is, is one of the most popular venues on “Passport DC Day” in May, when most of the embassies open their doors to the public and showcase their cultures.
In 1994 the Smithsonian held a Folklife and Heritage Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC. According to a Smithsonian video, John “Chippie” Chipman, a celebrated Bahamian drummer, was featured in the Junkanoo parade which caused such a sensation on the Mall that the crowds jammed up the parade route. Actually, whenever Junkanoo groups perform overseas spectators are not just drawn to the rhythm, they also participate, dancing with unabashed abandon. It is a shame that Junkanoo is mainly showcased during the Christmas and New Year holiday season in The Bahamas. Although there is a month long Junkanoo in Summer festival in July each year, it seems to me that this very important part of the culture should be much more available to visitors looking for that unique experience all the year round.
As Junkanoo enthusiasts say, “It’s in ya belly”. Most certainly, when you experience Junkanoo music it vibrates in your whole body, right down into your soul. Junkanoo music indeed is Bahamian soul food!
