By Norm Dixon
Abdul Tejan-Jalloh (aka Tee-Jay), from the west African nation of Sierra Leone, is midway through a two-month tour of Australia. Concentrating on outdoor music festivals, pub and club appearances, he has introduced to many here his lively mix of traditional and modern Sierra Leonean music and the urban "street" sounds of Zairean soukous, Ghanaian highlife and calypso.
Soukous and highlife, like South African mbaqanga, spring from the jostling of African and western music that has taken place in the streets, bars and dance halls of Africa's cities. Soukous originated with an unlikely combination of the Zairean maringa dance music, Cuban rhythms introduced with the gramophones and dance records of Belgian colonialists and the guitar and rumba music spread by west African sailors.
Highlife developed from the brass bands assembled to play for European colonialists throughout west Africa. Musicians created a syncopated form of military music called adaha. They carried their instruments back into the rural areas and smaller towns and combined adaha with local songs and rhythms.
Tee-Jay, born in Freetown 35 years ago, began playing the guitar against his parents' wishes when he was just eight years old. His parents smashed his first instrument when they discovered it, but they then gave in and presented him with an electric guitar. Together with two friends — calling themselves National Combo — he invaded the stage when other Freetown bands were playing.
"I've always been interested in African traditional music", Abdul explained in a British press interview. "All my friends were wanting to play like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix ... I was more interested in highlife music from Ghana and Nigeria."
Tee-Jay spent many years in the US and Britain playing in funk and Afro-rock bands. More recently, he has concentrated on more authentic African dance music. "I wanted to play more rootsy things, the sorts of songs people back home in Sierra Leone would like ... I started using Sierra Leonean folk songs and updating them. There are still strong soukous and highlife influences but everything is based on Sierra Leonean music."
Abdul Tee-Jay's backing band on his tour is the Melbourne-based soukous/mbaqanga group, Musiki Manjaro. Those who have seen the show say Tee-Jay deserves his reputation as Britain's hottest dance band.
Abdul Tee-Jay's remaining tour dates are:
Sydney: February 20 at the Paddington RSL; February 21 and 22 at the Rose, Shamrock and Thistle Hotel, Rozelle; February 23 at the Harbourside Brasserie, Millers Point.
Victoria: February 27-March 4, various university campuses (phone (03) March 6-9, Port Fairy Folk Festival.
Tasmania: March 18-23, venues yet to be confirmed.