Tonight's episode of Canada Live is a study in contrasts.Michael Kaeshammer is a first-world artist, trained in classical piano, lured by jazz, and steeped in boogie-woogie.  He's now making a name for himself on the national and international stage. Bombino is from Niger, one of seventeen siblings, who grew up amidst revolution, and taught himself to play guitar by lifting Jimi Hendrix licks while herding livestock. He now has a large and devoted following.
I have long said that the world's most compelling music was born out of suffering and oppression. Gospel and samba are just two examples. Jazz shares the same roots as gospel, but modern-day jazz couldn't be more distant from its roots in the African-American experience. Certainly the brand of jazz-pop that Kaeshammer makes has only the faintest pigmentation in it. And yet, audiences still find it compelling - as well they should. Kaeshamer's a fine artist, whose sound matures with each passing day.
Bombino's music and message are closer to the bone. His people, the Tuareg, have had to rise up against oppression many times over the centuries, and Bombino is as much a political activist as he is an artist. Bombino came up just as his countrymen were adopting the guitar as a weapon in the battle of influence. To my mind, his story is as compelling as his music.
So which compels more? Or can both be equally compelling, in different ways, for different reasons? You can only know by tuning in tonight.

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posted by Andrew Craig on Jul 30, 2012