Page 55 - Akae Beka

The reason why the blues speaks to our collective humanity
beyond race and nationality is because in its tonalities and
delivery, the blues reflects and expresses the sum of our human
suffering and grief, as well as our aspirations and hopes for
a better tomorrow. Music is an expression of our collective
humanity, and Africa speaks to us through the depth of the blues,
because each and every one of us on this planet is a descendant
of Africa. So, to the question, “is there such a thing as an African
blues?” the answer is, Africa speaks to our collective humanity
through the blues.

Dr. Pascal Bokar Thiam, a.k.a Pascal Bokar in the music world,
is a guitarist/vocalist from West Africa, Senegal. He is currently
a faculty member of the Performing Arts and Social Justice
Department of the University of San Francisco where he teaches
jazz studies and directs the USF Jazz Band. He received the Jim
Hall Jazz Master Award for Guitar from the Berklee College of
Music and the Outstanding Jazz Soloist Award from Dizzy
Gillespie and James Moody. In 2015, his CD Guitar Balafonics
received the “Best CD of the Year” distinction from Downbeat
Magazine with a four-star review. Bokar is considered the Father
of the “Afro Blue Grazz” sound that melds together African musical
traditions, American blues and funk with bluegrass stylings.
www.afrobluegrazzpascalbokar.com

Photo Sources
1 Tagles, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Ali_Farka_Toure.jpg
2 Richard Kaby, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/2.0), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassekou_
Kouyate_photo.jpg
3 Sachyn Mital, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Vieux_Farka_Tour%C3%A9.jpg
4 Bryan Ledgard, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/2.0), Taken for BBC Radio 2 at 2009 Cambridge
Festival, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oumou_
Sangar%C3%A9_(3785248191).jpg

Author and musician Pascal Bokar Thiam, Ed.D., is considered the Father of the
“Afro Blue Grazz” sound. Photo courtesy of Pascal Bokar

Blues Festival Guide 2020 53