tributaries by Paul Schauert

Tributaries seeks to honor the many influences that have flowed together to produce its sound. Blending contemporary jazz, electronica, ambient, chamber music, cinematic soundscapes, and various African traditions, it offers a unique genre-defying musical collection. Some of the most notable influences include: Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Hassell, and Mamady Keita. This album is specifically dedicated to the latter two who both passed in 2021 (within a few weeks of each other).

This album is also an extension of my previous scholarly and artistic work, which has predominately focused on the politics and cultural links between West African and African diasporic music and dance. While previously I have largely drawn on specific music from Ghana, this collection additionally moves further West to nations such as Guinea and Mali as well as south to Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe, combining several traditions with those of the African diaspora, namely in Cuba, Haiti, and the United States. This fusion is meant to be at once referential and respectful, while producing personally idiomatic expressions that are more abstract than previous releases.

I am grateful to the many mentors I have studied with over the years (in Africa, its diaspora, and elsewhere); I only hope that this music reflects the spirit in which they graciously shared their knowledge, time, and creativity.

Featured Tracks:
Fulannu Fantasy - named for the flute-like instrument of the West African Fulani people. Samples of it can be heard throughout the composition with multiple effects and layering. The second part of the title references both the classic musical form that features instrumental soloists, and a reflection on the ways in which 'Africa' has been portrayed in the popular imagination.

Schizophonic Suite (Meditation on Cultural Appropriation)
This self-reflexive piece questions the very act of producing it by re-imagining iconic Mbuti ("pygmy") music, which has been sampled and remixed many times before by numerous artists since at least the 1960s. The title references scholar Steve Feld's (1996) concept of "schizophonic mimesis" - the separation of sound from its original source for new artistic and/or commercial purposes. This work is in six movements:

I Romanticized Symbiosis (0:00)
II Call for Questioning (2:25)
III Entangled (6:17)
IV Transformation/Distortion (8:51)
V Innovation/Degradation (12:18)
VI Unsettled Ground (19:47)

This composition has a primarily educational intent and is explicitly not for profit. It is intended to encourage further consideration and conversation regarding such extractive/artistic/educational practices.

Percussionist, composer, scholar, educator combining jazz, ambient and experimental sensibilities with African influences.
Major artistic inspirations include: Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Hassell, Fela Kuti, Hugh Masekela, Mamady Keita, Erik Truffaz, Eivind Aarset, Christian aTunde Adjua, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, Brian Blade, Jeff Mills...