Journalism of Courage
Algerian musician Cheb i Sabbah on music,spirituality and his associations with Indian devotional music
The story of his life reads like fiction born in Algeria,he moved to Paris in the 1960s,where he started spinning disks as a teenager. There he met jazz musician Don Cherry,who expanded his musical vision to its present state, before he shifter to the US in the 1980s. Now based out of San Francisco,Cheb i Sabbah has released seven albums,and his music has its roots in spiritual incantations.
Recalling the 60s with a touch of nostalgia,Sabbah says he owes his musical knowledge to Cherry. I was just a teenager,and at that time,the only music prevalent in Paris was R&B and soul. Cherry had just been to the Orient,and he introduced me to Indian and Turkish music,which I took to immediately. Also,I grew up with North African music,thanks to my Algerian origins,which in turn is heavily influenced by Persian classical music. Thus,my association with global electronic began, he says. He feels that his time in the US has also been invaluable. In the mid 80s,I moved to San Francisco,which was full of immigrants and displaced people from all over the world,and all of them brought their own cultures. Spending time with them,I was able to learn and expand my musical horizon to epic proportions, he says.
Sabbah,who performed at Stone Water Grill on Wednesday,has recently released his album,Devotion,which deals specifically with Indian sounds,and for which he has collaborated with many Indian artistes like Carnatic vocalist Baby Sreeram and veena player AK Devi. Talking about it,he says,Devotion is the final part of a trilogy I have attempted,the other two albums being Krishna Lila (2002) and Shri Durga (1999). Through these albums,I have attempted to recreate devotional music from India. He is also all praise for Indian musicians. They are wonderful. The trust they have given me to keep the traditions of Indian music respectful and alive is incredible, he smiles.
