032: Keur Moussa: Sacred Chant and African Rhythms from Senegal, by the Monks of the Abbaye de Keur Moussa

The Monks of the Abbaye de Keur Moussa (Senegal)
Keur Moussa: Sacred Chant and African Rhythms from Senegal (1997)
17 tracks, 42 minutes
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Musical fusions are absolutely everywhere now – if you can think of two types of music from anywhere in the world, the chances there’s been a meeting in some studio to record a collaboration of the two. Some are better than others, but most of them have the simple goal of putting two styles together and seeing if they sound good. The fusion heard on this albums is much more organic than most.

The Abbaye de Keur Moussa is a Benedictine abbey not too far out of the Senegalese capital Dakar. When you consider that Senegal is a country where more than 90% of the population is Muslim (and most of Senegal’s neighbours have a similar or higher percentage), an entire abbey of Catholic monks is certainly a point of interest. Add in the important roles that music of very different kinds play in Senegalese and Benedictine societies, well…

When I first heard of the existence of the Keur Moussa abbey, I knew I had to find out about its music. I wasn’t disappointed. This is some of the most fascinating music out there, I would say. The monks – some of them French, most of them Senegalese – make music that reflects their two cultures in a unique way.

There actually seems to be loads of recordings out there of the monks performing their duties – from sermons to music to prayer – but this album is the one that’s gotten the most exposure. It shows a good range of the music of the abbey: there are a cappella pieces of Benedictine chant and liturgy, and there are a few instrumental-only tracks which showcase the traditional West African instruments. The most intriguing tracks in this collection for me, though, are those where the two soundworlds meet, where kora and balafon are used to accompany the chant. There’s an interesting push-and-pull at work during these moments: sometimes the melody and rhythms of the chant take on a distinctly Senegalese feel; at others, the instruments work more in a European idiom. There’s even a lovely instrumental meeting between kora and oboe in the track ‘Dédicace (Dedication),’ which comes out as quite a jolly classical piece.

It’s all recorded there in the abbey, with all the associated godly reverb you would expect. With everything all together, the effect is palpable. There’s no escaping that this music is deeply religious and meditative, and with that comes a real sense of calm that permeates through it. It’s also just refreshing to hear an international music fusion that has come about in this way, to perform a real function in a literal hybrid culture, rather than a musical objet d’art manufactured for outside ears.