Biakuye means unity in the African nation of Ghana, and the unity of American and African cultures is the backbone of the Biakuye Unity Ensemble's performance tomorrow night.
Created to teach elementary school students about African roots and American music, the ensemble will take the stage in the Ohio University School of Music Recital Hall ' purely for entertainment's sake, said founder Mark Stone.
Stone plays vibraphone, marimba and kalimba with the ensemble. He started the group in 1993, spending a year living in Ghana and Uganda to learn the traditions. He also arranges many of the traditional African tunes into jazz tunes so they can be played on modern instruments.
Jazz itself is world music
and jazz is historically connected to Brazilian Cuban and American influences Stone said. The focus of the group is how this music brings people together.
Ohio University percussion professor Roger Braun, a member of local band Los Viejos Blanquitos, said he joined the group when he met Stone in Michigan.
A lot of the African things that I've gotten into have been directly from Mark
and I've never met a better American player of African music
Braun said.
The other two members of the group come straight from Africa. Percussionist Kofi Ameyaw is from Ghana, where he was a part of the Pan-African Orchestra. Bassist Issa Sall, who learned to play the electric bass after he moved to the U.S., is from Senegal.
Most of the music Biakuye plays comes from Ghana. A key part of their repertoire is the music of West Ghana, including a xylophone-like instrument called the gyil, Braun said.
While African music is the expertise of the ensemble, Biakuye also delves into jazz, Cuban, Brazilian and American influences, along with a few pieces Stone wrote.
Not only will the ensemble be playing at the recital hall, but they will play at OU's Southern branch and finish with a recording session with Athens' Brick City Records on Sunday.
Hopefully the energy from the shows will create a spark when we go into the recording studio
Stone said.
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