By Perry Tannenbaum
Across the Savannah River, the azaleas come in earlier, so it’s easier to surrender to spring fever even a couple of days before the equinox. This year’s Savannah Music Festival (March 18-April 3) beckoned to me from the Georgia coast, more inviting than ever. Rob Gibson, the artistic director at SMF, helped build Jazz at Lincoln Center to its current international stature, and he also has a keen ear for the best in country, folk, and bluegrass. Associate music director Daniel Hope assembles the classical lineup and — a world-class violinist in his own right — anchors the chamber music series.
Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra graced the festival, heading a jazz lineup that included Ken Peplowski, Henry Butler, the Clayton Brothers, Dick Hyman, Bill Frisell and Ngoni Ba. Classical music lovers could find such monster names as Lang Lang, Nicole Cabell, the Emerson Quartet, Yefim Bronfman, Gautier Capucon and Jeffrey Kahane. Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, Derek Trucks, Cherryholmes, Shannon Whitworth and the Del McCoury Band were among the remaining miscellany.
Sue and I only stayed half as long as we did last year, but enjoyed about 100 times the sunshine. We much preferred Savannah without the typhoons and the puddles, shedding our outerwear and never opening our umbrellas once.
Instead of trying to tell you about all we heard — and all you missed — I’ll concentrate on Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, who closed the festival on Saturday night. Hailing from Mali, this septet includes four ngoni virtuosos, two percussionists and one fabulous vocalist, Kouyate’s wife, Amy Sacko. Ngonis, or “spike lutes,” are the African ancestors of the banjo. The instruments are electrified like guitars and, in Kouyate’s hands, electrifying. Add traditional African costumes and the group’s propensity for line dancing behind — or with — whoever is tearing it up with vocals or instrumentals, and you have nothing short of a feast for eyes and ears.
They are scheduled to play at Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston on June 9 for 75 minutes at The Cistern. Believe me, that’s more than enough time for this group to torch the place with excitement.
This article appears in Apr 6-12, 2010.
