Derrik Jordon's African Adventure

I met Derrik Jordan at the Harmonizing with Humanity positive music festival in Phoenix this past March. I missed his solo performance of original pieces but was impressed with the string work he lent to other artists' performances (electric violin is his first instrument). His playing was sensitive, generous, and supportive – no ego, no agendas.

Late one night, relaxing in the lobby of the hotel, we talked about music, the world, and teaching (we're both part-time "music mentors"). I found Jordan to be amiable and engaging, in keeping with his collaborative style on stage. When he told me about the making of his latest CD, "SuperString Theory Goes to Senegal," I realized that his gracious approach to music and life has been as important to his success as his talents as a violinist, guitarist, songwriter, singer, and percussionist.

The story began when Jordan joined some fellow teachers on a cultural exchange tour called The Senegal-American Project. Jordan is a devotee of World Beat music – he has written, performed, and produced a double CD of Brazilian-inspired tunes called "Braziliance" and won top honors for the 2002 Reggae Song of the Year from Just Plain Folks, the world's largest songwriter organization. He has journeyed to Brazil, Trinidad, Ghana, and Senegal to fine tune his World Beat chops.

He knew his second trip to Africa was an opportunity to record with some great Senegalese musicians. But he also knew that he would have to plan the project carefully, like a safari into uncharted territory. First, there was the issue of establishing good faith with the musicians. Jordan wanted to avoid any whiff of the controversies that accompanied Paul Simon's "Graceland" project.

"I saw the problem as me being a white American guy," Jordan says. "How was I going to be able to build trust with these Africans who might not believe that I had their best interests at heart? I worried that they would think I was trying to rip off their music."

If he had been David Byrne, with the backing of some big music corporation, he could just offer irresistible sums of money and lawyer up if misunderstandings surfaced later. But this would not be Jordan's way, even if he had such means at his disposal. He envisioned the perfect win-win situation: He would offer to make CDs of the local players' music, gratis, then invite them to play and improvise with him and record the sessions. The plan required a huge leap of faith on several levels, and the execution would be challenging.

(Next: Derrik Jordon's adventure continues with a fascinating conclusion.)