"A
vital mix of the Mississippi Delta and Mali, a cultural exchange
of haunting beauty and mystery."
—BLUES REVUE MAGAZINE
"Music
that conjures the very soul of the Sahara...evokes the spirit
of the blues."
—Billboard Magazine
Sample music http://markusjames.calabashmusic.com/
View
videos on youtube.com
In
the US, Markus James tours with The Wassonrai, featuring West African musicians based in the US. They have performed in venues ranging from a four-star
catfish restaurant in Mississippi, to New York City's Lincoln Center Outdoors Series, to Festivals, clubs, and PAC's.
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Presenters’
comments:
"His orginal approach to blues music combining
American Roots Blues with West African roots music is
such a soul filled experience. They created some magical
music."
—Fred “Freddie Blue”
Goodrich, WWOZ, New Orleans, LA
"His
shows are mesmerizing! Guiding his talented musicians
through their musical journeys with confidence and
ease, Markus James draws us in to his world which includes
destinations from Mali to Memphis."
—Bill Bowker, Sonoma County Blues Festival, KRSH radio, Santa Rosa,
CA
“Timbuktoubab was a highlight of the Mill Valley
Film Festival. The bridge between U.S. blues and traditional
Malian music was made palpable, both onscreen and in
live performances by Markus James and The Wassonrai.
It was a dynamic and
memorable event for an enthusiastic audience.
—Zoë Elton, Mill Valley Film
Festival
"Subscribers and single ticket buyers alike raved
about the soul-touching music."
—Tegan McLane, Performing Arts
Coordinator, City of Sunnyvale, CA
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MEDIA:
Radio:
NPR's "All Things Considered", CMJ New World Top 20 (10 weeks), RMR Roots Blues Top 20
(17 weeks), syndicated shows: House of Blues Radio Hour,
Blues Deluxe, BBC’s True Blues, PRI’s Afropop
Worldwide, PRI’s “The World”
TV:
Award-winning film, “Timbuktoubab”, on satellite
(Dish TV and Direct TV networks); seen on many PBS
stations including major markets Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
Atlanta
PRINT:
revues and features in:
Billboard, Blues Revue, Wired, AMG, Downbeat, Dirty Linen,
fROOTS (UK),Boston Phoenix,others
VENUES:
- Lincoln
Center Out of Doors Series
- Santa
Monica Twilight Series
- PRI
/ BBC’s “The World”
- Bridges
Auditorium (L.A.)
- Ashland
Armory (OR)
- Access
(Detroit, MI.)
- Festival
Internationale (Lafayette, LA)
- Great
American Music Hall (SF)
- Price
Center Ballroom (U.C. San Diego)
- Hothouse
(Chicago)
- Sonoma
County Blues Festival (CA.)
- Hi-Tone
(Memphis, TN)
- Center
for Southern Culture (U. of Miss.)
- Vancouver Folk Festival
- Sierra Nevada World Music Festival
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MARKUS
JAMES
Markus
James is originally from Virginia and the DC area, where
his first musical memory, from the age of four, is of
an old, blind blues singer he saw many times playing on
a sidewalk. He first encountered West African stringed
music at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival when he was
mesmerized by the Gambian Kora player and singer, Alhaji
Bai Konte. Markus settled in Northern California, writing
and recording in rock and R&B styles while also pursuing
his interests in African, Indian, and Gamelan music. He
travelled in West Africa and also Haiti, studying traditional
ensemble drumming, before first visiting Mali in 1994,
when he made his way to the village of Niafounke to meet
the legendary “Malian Bluesman”, Ali Farka Toure.
It was then that Markus first recorded original, Blues-based
songs with |
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Wassoulou
musician Solo Sidibe, which became the "where you
wanna be" album, released 6 years later. He has
produced several programs for PRI's Afropop Worldwide,
notably "Ali Farka Toure: Live From Niafounke".
Markus has returned to Mali many times, where he has
written and recorded blues-influenced music with traditional
Malian musicians, notably his 2002 release "nightbird",
and 2005’s album and film “Timbuktoubab”,
which have been warmly received by critics in the US
and Europe. He has performed at the Festival In The
Desert, near Timbuktu, in 2003, 2004, and 2006; and in
2007 and 2008, Markus performed at the
Ali Farka Toure Festivals, in Bamako and Niafounke, Mali, honoring his friend and inspiration.
Markus’ collaborations in Timbuktu with Hamma Sankare
(Calabash player on Ali Farka Toure's tours and albums),
Hassi Sare (master of the one-stringed Njarka violin),
and Solo Sidibe (who plays the Kamele N'Goni, the hunter's
harp of the Wassoulou people) are the subject of the
documentary film and CD / DVD "Timbuktoubab".
The film has been presented by 3 Film Festivals, broadcast
frequently on national satellite channel Link TV (Blues.
and Dish networks), and on many PBS
stations. The album spent 10 weeks on the CMJ
New World radio top 20 chart, reflecting
the programming tastes of over 200 music hosts.
Markus’ release, “Calabash Blues”,
includes tributes to Blues legends Skip James
and Howlin Wolf; each song features the traditional
sound and rhythms of the calabash, recorded at the source
of the ancient roots of Blues music. Calabash Blues
spent 17 weeks in the top 20 of the Roots Blues
airplay chart, with tracks featured on the nationally
syndicated House of Blues Radio Hour, Blues
Deluxe, and the BBC’s True Blues.
"Snakeskin Violin", recorded in Mali, Mississippi and California, spent 8 weeks in the CMJ New World top 20, and was featured on nationally syndicated shows: House of Blues Radio Hour, NPR's "All Things Considered", Afropop Worldwide, and XM Satellite's "Cafe", among others.
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