Soul brothers of world music visit Arden

Although they were born on two continents separated by an ocean, American bluesman Eric Bibb and West African singer/guitarist Habib Koité are like two soul brothers revealing a shared vision.
They first met in 1999. More than a decade later, respect for each other’s work and a similar musical philosophy finally brought the duo together for the 2012 release of Brothers in Bamako.
The 14-track is a musical crossroads that unites two soulful histories with passion and hope. Their songs comment on the state of world affairs while drawing on the traditions of their cultural roots.
In Bibb’s case, he infuses blues, folk and gospel into a spellbinding sound, while Koité melds together the entire palette of musical traditions from his native Mali.
“We’re both deeply rooted in tradition but we expand on it. We have a legacy and we carry on the tradition, but we move it along and do some things differently,” said Bibb.
At the moment the duo is on a world tour with concerts in major American cities. Along with dynamic percussionist Mama Kone, the duo makes one of two Canadian stops at the Arden Theatre on Friday, Feb. 22.
Bibb first discovered Koité’s music more than 12 years ago when a friend, aware of his interest in African music, passed on one of the Malian’s CDs.
Roughly at the same time Putumayo World Music asked each musician to contribute a song to the compilation Mali to Memphis. They were subsequently tapped for a California promotional tour, and first saw each other in person from the wings of a stage.
Bibb recalled that in meeting for a dressing room jam, “It was effortless to play with him. We realized how compatible our music was and developed a friendship.”
Through the next decade the twosome briefly ran into each other in various world locales including Adelaide and Calgary – always hinting at collaboration.
Last year they finally paired up in Brussels for a week of song-writing. The plan was to record in Koité’s home studio at Bamako. However, road construction caused power outages and they rented a conference room at the Azalai Hotel Nord Sud where Bibb was booked.
In the West, most singers and techies would have probably hit the panic button.
“The way things work in Africa, people are very adaptable,” Bibb says. “In the West, we look for optimal conditions. In Third World countries we make do with what’s available and people come up with ingenious ideas.”
“The only thing was that, next door, they were laying down ceramic tiles and we could only record in the time between their work breaks. We managed and I learned a lesson that where there’s a will there’s a way. You have to persevere and wonderful things happen. The human spirit always fills in for a lack of technology.”
Part scripted, part improvised, Bibb and Koité were able to deliver a cohesive set of songs in one week.
“We wanted to comment on the state of the world and the fact we could bridge cross-cultural gaps in a time of strife,” Bibb said. “We wanted to write about the real world we live in.”
And they ask provocative questions on tunes such as Khafola, a song about female circumcision, or We Don’t Care, a commentary on mindless consumerism.
In developing this project, Bibb and Koité took risks and a leap of faith that fans would embrace their idea. They did, full throttle.
“And to other musicians that see different projects with different cultures – don’t wait,” Bibb advises. “Make those connections and reach out. It’s worth it.”