“About 17 or 18 years ago, I was playing drums in a number of bands,” Lewis says. “I used to play on a traditional drum kit. However, I had the opportunity to play percussion in a Latin band, which was about to tour Japan. It wasn’t too long afterwards that I came across the djembe and therein began the love affair. Over the last 15 years, I’ve gone on study trips six times to West Africa. One thing led to another and I have been doing it, teaching and playing it, ever since.”
The study trips proved fortuitous for other reasons. “I was in Mali studying when I was introduced to Koné by one of my friends,” Lewis elaborates. “I could see immediately what an incredible musician he was.”
Lewis and his bandmates were so blown away by Koné that the direction the band had to take became apparent immediately. “I had an Afro-jazz band at the time,” Lewis explains. “It was a bunch of guys – I’d been playing with some of them for almost 20 years in lots of different bands. We had actually formed the base of Koné Express seven or eight years ago, but we weren’t driving it. We played shows occasionally. We always had fun and got a good response, but when we invited Koné to jam with us suddenly, it made more sense. We knew immediately that we were on to something great. Everyone was like, ‘Wow, he’s incredible and we need him in the band.’ So, we put him out front.”
In context, it makes sense, because Koné is doing what he was born to do and his story is fascinating. “Koné began playing at a very early age,” Lewis reveals. “He was the first son in the family. His father was a musician and his grandfather was a performer. For Koné, this meant that ‘you too will be a musician’.
“He didn’t go to school. Instead, he went to festivals and events and played with his father. He’s devoted his whole life to music. He’s a ‘griot’. That’s a French word, but in West African culture it means that he was born and expected to carry on the musical tradition. When you watch him, there’s so much joy. He’s totally engrossed. You can see why he’s gotten so good at what he does and he does it with ease. In Mali, he’s recognised as one of the best players around. In my view, he’s one of the best in the world.”
Koné’s talent is all the more impressive when you consider the band’s meld of genres. “African music works in so many styles and we cross them: jazz, reggae, blues, trance, Latin,” Lewis clarifies. “It’s fun for us as players and we all learn to be flexible. However, for Koné, who has such a strong African musical tradition, it’s extraordinary. Many people find it extremely difficult to play in styles other than their own, but he does it and fits in so well.”
The band plus Koné are a magical unit. “We made the album in one sitting,” Lewis divulges proudly. “It was five hours in the studio, and we had only played together and rehearsed two or three times at that stage. It was all recorded live. We just let it flow, which means that some of the tracks are longer, but it’s…so good and we just want people to hear it.”
BY MEG CRAWFORD
