The story starts
in a country known today as Pakistan but then as India (British, as opposed to
Independent). Regular followers of this humble journal will understand that
that is where so many exciting musical stories commence and that telling
another yarn is inevitable for me.
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| Mirza Ghulam Ahmad |
In the late 1800s
in the provincial town of Qadian, in the Punjab, a spiritually inclined
government clerk proclaimed himself a Prophet. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad further considered himself to be the fulfillment
of several Islamic and non-Islamic prophecies, in particular, to be the Messiah (Mahdi) expected at the
end of the Age by Jews, Christians and Muslims. To skeptical Hindus he spoke of
being Kalki the final and yet to
appear incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Beginning
with the slow demise of the Mughal empire from the late 18th century
and through to its final brutal destruction in 1857 with the full political
take over by the British, Indian Muslims were struggling to create a new definition of themselves
politically, culturally and religiously. Christian missionary activity and aggressive Hindu
religio-nationalist groups such as the Arya
Samaj were increasingly popular. Qadian was a district under the control of the
Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh. From a purely phenomenological
perspective Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s
pronouncements and nascent religious movement can be understood as one response
to the formation of a post-Mughal Muslim identity within the context of a multi-faith and very fluid landscape.
Although his
self-identification horrified mainstream Islam his distinct message was well
received by many. Today Ahmadis are in every country of the
world with the largest population of 4 million in Pakistan where they occupy a
social space akin to the persecuted Baha’i community in Iran. Pakistani law has
declared it illegal for an Ahmadi to claim to be a Muslim and as
recently as two years ago, nearly a 100 Ahmadi
worshippers were killed by several Taliban suicide bombers.
Spreading their
unique take on the cosmos and of brotherly love has been a key feature of the Ahmadi movement with missionaries
setting out from the subcontinent to Europe and North America and Africa in the
early years of the 20th century.
In 1920 Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, an Ahmadi missionary landed in New York
and was promptly thrown in immigration detention. He had hoped to spread his
message to all Americans but found most Christian white Americans feared or
hated his message. But within the African American community the heterodox,
distinctly non-mainstream religious movement caught on like wild fire. After being released from detention, Sadiq opined, “If Jesus Christ comes to America and
applies for admission to the US under the immigration laws [he] would not be
allowed to enter this country because:
1. He comes from
a land which is out of the permitted zone. 2. He has
no money with
him; 3. He is not decently dressed. 4. His hands have
holes in the
palms. 5. He remains bare-footed, which is a disorderly act.
6. He is against
fighting for the country. 7. He believes in making wine
when he thinks
necessary; 8.He has no credential to show that he is an
authorized
preacher. 9. He believes in practicing the Law of Moses
[polygamy].”
By appealing to
the poor treatment African Americans had received under Christian slave masters
and politicians Ahmadi missionaries
welcomed them to “Islam the real faith of Universal Brotherhood.” Tens of
thousands heeded the call including many jazz musicians. Indeed, the Ahmadi stream of Islam quickly
became the dominant one in America until the 1950s when the Nation of Islam, a
largely Black Muslim movement (as opposed to a Muslim Movement), modulated its
radical nationalistic stance somewhat to appeal to Ahmadi followers who were growing disillusioned with the leadership’s
inability to truly accept and reward African American converts and embrace their
culture.
High on the very
long and impressive list of jazz musicians who converted to Ahmadi Islam, was the hard-bop drummer,
Art Blakey. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in
1919 Blakey played drums behind Thelonius
Monk, Miles Davis and Bud Powell,
among other giants of jazz. While on a
visit to West Africa (where Ahmadi Islam
was quite strong) Blakey converted
to Islam. "I didn't go to Africa to
study drums - somebody wrote that - I went to Africa because there wasn't
anything else for me to do. I couldn't get any gigs, and I had to work my way
over on a boat. I went over there to study religion and philosophy. I didn't
bother with the drums, I wasn't after that. I went over there to see what I
could do about religion. When I was growing up I had no choice, I was just
thrown into a church and told this is what I was going to be. I didn't want to
be their Christian. I didn't like it. You could study politics in this country,
but I didn't have access to the religions of the world. That's why I went to
Africa. When I got back people got the idea I went there to learn about
music."
Though he changed
his name to Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he continued to perform and record
as Art Blakey, though friends called
him ‘Bu’. In 1947 Blakey
formed an all Muslim band called the Seventeen Messengers, which included other
luminaries such as Yusuf Lateef, McCoy
Tyner, Ahmad Jamal and Sahib Shihab.
Over the next 40 years the band became one of the most powerful and loved jazz
ensembles in history. Home to and nurturing ground for a galaxy of jazz stars
such as Freddy Hubbard, Horace Silver,
Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin and Lee Morgan always with Blakey
on the drums, The Jazz Messengers created not only the
hard-bop sound but epitomized, in the 70s and 80s, the very notion of jazz
music.
Blakey’s drumming is hard driving and powerful and the music the Messengers
made always exciting and energetic. With the amount of talent that moved in and
out of the band you would expect that. And you’d be hard pressed to find a more
invigorating and vital sound anywhere else in jazz. It is joyous and upbeat but
uncompromising. By the 80s Blakey had
lost his hearing and was playing by instinct and intuition but still touring
with the band. He passed away in 1990.
Tonight’s
selection, Buhaina’s Delight, is a
salute to one of the most formidable and dedicated musicians in jazz history
but also a tip of the hat to his vision and commitment to get the ‘message’ of
Islam and the freedom on music out to the world.
Here’s a review
from AMG.
Arguably the finest lineup of the Jazz Messengers (with the possible exception of the Lee Morgan edition), this incarnation
of the band -- Blakey, saxophonist Wayne Shorter (here playing tenor),
young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard,
trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Cedar Walton, and bassist Jymie Merritt -- set the tone for the
hard bop movement of the '60s. This release features six classic modern-jazz
icons and four alternate takes. Starting with Shorter's "Backstage Sally," the band jump into a happy,
staccato horn chart and the groove-style shuffle that was their signature
sound. Shorter's tenor-led ballad
"Contemplation" finds the brassmen solidly behind him as he unleashes
a breathtaking solo, while the Fuller-penned
"Bu's Delight" is a supersonic hard bopper featuring Blakey's cage-rattling drum breaks and
a formidable Walton solo. Written
and led by Shorter,
"Reincarnation Blues" is another good swinger, with counterpoint and
unison lines sprinkled in together. The stunner of the set is Walton's "Shaky Jake," a low,
moaning melody with deep-blue harmony soaring over a groove shuffle. On
"Moon River," a frisky bopper featuring substantial solos from Hubbard and Fuller and a joyous arrangement modified from the original blue
waltz, the song's staggered phrases are introduced and interrupted by drum
breaks. The second takes of "Moon River" and "Backstage
Sally" are fairly close to the first takes, while the alternate versions
of "Reincarnation Blues" and "Bu's Delight" run one to two
minutes shorter than the originals. Overall, you won't find a better
representation of what modern mainstream jazz sounds like. Blakey and his band are on it from start to finish. (AMG)
Track Listing:
01. Backstage
Sally
02. Contemplation
03. Bu's Delight
04. Reincarnation
Blues
05. Shakey
Jake
06. Moon
River
07. Moon
River (alt)
08. Backstage
Sally (alt)
09. Reincarnation
Blues (alt)
10. Bu’s
Delight (alt)
