Our week begins with stirring jazz from the South African band the Blue Notes. We introduce singer/songwriter Sean Haefeli who is producing jazz-based contemporary music. We conclude the week with nine versions of the seventies anthem “Some Day We’ll All Be Free” featuring the composer Donny Hathaway, pianist Bobby Lyle, vocalist Puff Johnson, guitarist/vocalist George Benson, guitarist Charlie Hunter,Sergio Mendes, pianist Laurent Coq, vocalist Bobby Womack and the queen, Aretha Franklin.
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We say we’d like to hear something different from the same-old, same-old; why does all the music on the radio have to sound so much alike? Yet, when we encounter something truly different, what do we do? In general we ignore the different because in order to appreciate the newness we would have to move outside of our status-quo comfort zones.
I was intrigued when I first heard Sean Haefeli’s music but also a bit irritated that I couldn’t immediately identify what all was going on. Then I saw a photo of Sean and that significantly upped my confusion index. And that last name, was it Middle Eastern? But he was from Chicago—as if there were no Muslims of color in Chi, whose Southside back in the day was one of the headquarters and concentrations of the Nation of Islam.
And his music; the lyrics sound like modern poetry, sort of a cross between Ezra Pound in the metro and some alternative spoken word down by the Green Mill in Chicago. Jazz is the major influence but there are strong pop elements as well. Like I said, something different. Moreover, the music is adventurous. He takes unexpected twists and turns, puts lyrics you have to listen to at least thrice in order to decipher the deeptitudes being discussed. Some times it swings, some times it grooves but there is always something emotionally moving going on.
—kalamu ya salaam