Harry James Angus mentored Ethiopian bassist Yoseph H. Bekele as part of Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Visible Music Mentoring Program. Yoseph’s collaboration with Harry’s band Jackson Jackson is featured on MAV’s Visible 8 Compilation album – along with a cacophony of Persian hip hop, soul from North-East Arnhem Land and Hazara beats. It will be officially launched at Loop on Wednesday November 27 with performances from a selection of the Visible artists and the screening of short films made throughout the program introducing the artists and their music. For more information visit multiculturalarts.com.au.
Harry asks Yoseph
What’s different about Ethiopian music?
The scale and the time signatures are different. People use the music for spiritual purposes; expressing sadness and happiness.
What’s the same about Ethiopian music?
Sometimes you can hear some similar scales or similar time signatures. Not often though.
How did you like writing your own lyrics for the first time?
I used to write lyrics in Amharic but writing in English is different because it’s my second language. I was trying to express my feelings. The song is about being in the moment; it wasn’t easy to find the right words to get my meaning and feelings across.
It was different but good and I would like to keep writing lyrics in English and Amharic, there is more I would like to say, to write about.
Is it important to spend time in nature?
For me, more than anything. Especially at this time, almost everyday I am spending time in the park, in nature. Finding myself and thinking about the world, life. I feel like when I spend my time in nature, I drop everything and my mind is resting.
What are your hopes for the future?
I wish that people would stop suffering in this world. We should all learn to live comfortably. Musically, I would like to pass on the messages of the people through my music. A lot of people don’t have the chance or place to express their voice,
Yoseph asks Harry
Is music important to this world?
I don’t know. If we stop making beautiful things, the world will go on turning, I guess. But then what are we going to do?
If you didn’t make music, what would you like to be?
I often sit there and imagine myself writing a critically acclaimed novel. In this I am not alone, I know. There are all kinds of people out there who imagine they can write critically acclaimed novels, they just haven’t got around to it yet. Of course, it’s the getting around to it part and the discipline to finish it that creates the novelist, not some vague unrealised potential. In music, you only need to play for three minutes and you’ve got a song. Music, for me, is collaboration, spontaneity, creative sparks connecting in illogical or unexpected sequences, unfolding in real time. It all seems easier.
What is the meaning of life?
Eat, play and love. It’s a wonderful thing that someone chose ‘play’ as the verb to describe what a musician does with (or to) his instrument. I’m guessing it was a poet of some kind.
In the midst of a hiatus, what would you do with your free time?
Think of new ideas, get fit and healthy and spend time with my family in the sun.
How does it feel to have your own family?
It’s a wonderful thing. But it’s a lot harder to write songs with a two year old climbing all over your piano.
