Wednesday Folk Traditions
Gokh-Bi System
Contemporary Gospel
August 12 at 6:30 pm

HADLEY—The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum continues its 28th season of WEDNESDAY FOLK TRADITIONS on June 24, 2009 with the Senegalese hip-hop group, Gokh-Bi System. The group plays a unique, vibrant brand of music that draws on traditional Senegalese influences as well as contemporary hip-hop traditions. They rap in multiple languages (among them English, French, Arabic, and several Senegalese dialects), and incorporate traditional Senegalese instruments and storytelling techniques. Despite its wide array of influences, this particular hybrid feels completely natural, with the African and African-American elements of the group’s sound blending seamlessly. As the New York Times said of the group, “Hip hop takes a joyful, respectful place alongside traditionalism.”
One of the connections that Gokh-Bi System locates between hip hop and their Senegalese roots is tassu, a traditional system of communication used by villagers in Senegal in which rhythmic rap-like vocalizations and drumming play a major role. As Gokh-Bi System vocalist Mamadou explains, “Tassu survived the Middle Passage, crossed over oceans and time and found its rhythm reincarnated in the microphones of emcees who continue to ride the beat, send a message about what's going down in the streets and tell their stories like the jeli of Senegal.” The group further elaborates this connection in their single, “Rap Tassu,” released this past March.

Gokh-Bi System goes beyond simply maintaining a musical connection to their Senegalese roots, however, as the proceeds from “Rap Tassu” will be donated to the band's village, Pikine Guinaw Rails, which suffers annually from major flooding, resulting in malaria, death and extremely poor living conditions. The band will be performing a number of benefit shows in 2009 to support this noble cause and assist the people of Pikine Guinaw Rails.
We are extremely excited that the group will again be bringing their unique sound to Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum’s Wednesday Folk Traditions this June 24th, as it truly promises to be a show to remember. Gokh-Bi System brings a dynamic, high-energy live set, at once traditional and progressive, that will leave audiences of all ages nodding their head to the beat. The concert series continues on July 1st with 35th Parallel, another fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds, blending folk musical styles from sources spanning the globe, including North Africa, the Middle East, North India, and the Mediterranean.

The concerts are funded, in part, with generous support from People’s Bank, Easthampton Savings Bank, Gage-Wiley & Co., MicroCal, LLC, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company, and many other local businesses.
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum is located at 130 River Drive (Route 47) in Hadley, two miles north of the junction of Routes 9 and 47. The Museum is open for guided tours Saturday through Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment. For further information about the tours and the WEDNESDAY FOLK TRADITIONS series, call the Museum at (413) 584-4699.