"I'm really looking forward to it."
Interview with Haroun Iqbal by Bram Posthumus. Following the interview with Malian ngoni-maestro Bassékou Kouyaté.
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“Jazz: that is us.” ✨ Interview with Bassekou Kouyaté
If there is one musical genre that has curiosity in its genes, it is jazz. No wonder guitarist, composer and musical world traveler Haroun Iqbal is exploring this musical language with his new quartet Iqnovara.
In January 2025, he will open for Malian virtuoso Bassekou Kouyaté, a very pleasant prospect indeed.
It is no coincidence that Haroun is opening for Bassekou - he has walked several paths of world music and immersed himself in encounters around the globe. He sees jazz as the link between all the music he has made his own: from the ragas of northern India to the ancient music of West Africa and Europe.
"His first two records I found very impactful", he says on the phone. Those early albums Kouyaté released with his own ensemble, Segu Blue in 2007 and I speak Fula two years later. "What this man knows how to get out of his instrument...". But virtuosity alone is never enough. "You want to know what functions the music serves," he explains.
"So I immersed myself in old musical traditions to find out. Before, I was mostly concerned with the academic side of music, but gradually I came to understand that it's a cultural thing. Then you start to discover where it really comes from...".
Exploring in West Africa
His journey through the subtle splendor of West African music began thanks to the work of South African guitarist Derek Gripper, who transferred the sounds of the 21-string kora to the guitar.
Then there was the meeting with Bao Sissoko, a Senegalese kora player with an impressive track record who lives in Brussels.
"About five years ago, I started playing with Bao, sometimes up to six hours a day. I do a lot of composition, but in these sessions we often ended up with jazz and improvisation...".
Jazz as a guiding principle. You can hear it in the enchanting "You, Me, In Trees," which Haroun created for the Flemish harp duo Vireo.
Fingers crossed for interplay
After the giddy highs and technical jokes that characterized Kouyaté's later work, Haroun sees in the album Djudjon - with a starring role for his wife Amy Sacko - a return to essentials.
He has to laugh at the Malian maestro's laconic answer to my question about jazz ("It comes from Africa. Jazz: that's us. Improvising, soloing, it comes naturally to us. It has something very natural", see the interview with Bassekou).
"I can understand that. For them, improvisation and jazz are very natural. Personally, I feel that West Africa is closer to me. It's often incredibly virtuosic, but it also stays in an accessible framework. I hope there will be a musical fusion at the concert on January 31st."
Bassekou Kouyaté & Amy Sacko
Support: Haroun Iqbal
Modern roots from Mali - exclusive concert in Belgium
20:15 Tickets