Interview with Olusegun Williams
Kalimba Star of Tallahassee, Florida

Olusegun Williams writes:

I am primarily a folklorist-historian, musician, and storyteller. I bought my first Hugh Tracey Kalimba in Miami some time in the 1970's. I studied with Jomo Faulks for a time and he and I played several gigs together in Miami before I moved to Tallahassee in 1987. From 1989 to 1999 I played keys, flute and percussion with Phoenix Uprising Reggae Band. On the last cd the band recorded (1995) I told a folktale... "People Who Could Fly"...which featured two songs played by me on kalimba... "Rivers of Babylon" and "Fly Away Home".

In 2000 I spent three weeks on the south coast of Jamaica in a place with no electricity and no running water. I spent almost every night playing my alto kalimba in the dark. It was there that the instrument began to "open itself" to me.

For the last two years I've been trying to put the kalimba "on the map" so to speak in my part of the world. Being able to play [the Hugh Tracey kalimbas with pickup] through an amp has aided tremendously in that process. Over the past year I've done tracks on three or four CDs released by musician friends of mine in Tallahassee and I have also done a lot of live performing in clubs and other venues.

In my "spare time" I substitute teach in the local high schools and I do special programs with the John G. Riley House Museum and African-American Cultural Center in Tallahassee.

I'm doing a show on Oct. 30th here in Tallahassee. I'll be playing the Hugh Tracey G Chromatic in concert for an audience for the first time. Songs on the playlist include "Nature Boy" by Eden Ahbez, Smokey Robinson's "Ooo Baby Baby", "Grandma's Hands" by Bill Withers, and "Devotion" by Earth Wind and Fire.

—Olusegun Williams

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KM: Olusegun, how long does it take to become a great kalimba player?

OW: I started trying to play the kalimba around 1973 or '74. However, it's only been since about 2000 that I have considered myself a fairly competent player.

KM: How did you first discover the kalimba?

OW: I first saw the Hugh Tracey Kalimba in a music store in Miami. At the time I was shopping for percussion instruments for the poetry group that operated under the auspices of the "M" Ensemble Company, Inc., a professional theatre company that I co-founded in 1971. The "M" Ensemble Rhythm Ensemble did poetry and spoken word presentations accompanied by percussion and sometimes me on the flute. I thought the kalimba would be a nice addition to our sound if I could learn to play it.

KM: How did you learn to play kalimba?

OW: I learned to play kalimba, first by studying the instruction book that came with the instrument. I had taken piano lessons as a child and had some knowledge of elementary music theory. I began to play simple melodies...happy birthday, twinkle twinkle, etc.

In the mid 80's I met Jomo Faulks (Jomo Vibes). He was the first to tell me about playing melody and my own accompaniment. Jomo and I played several gigs together before I moved to Tallahassee in 1987.

KM: Since moving to Tallahassee, how have you continued to improve your playing?

OW: After moving to Tallahassee, I began performing as a folklorist/storyteller. Several of my stories have accompanying songs which I play. From 1989 through 1999 I played and toured with Phoenix Uprising Reggae Band. On our second album (CD), released in 1995, I play "Rivers of Babylon" and "Fly Away Home" on kalimba.

In 2000, I spent three weeks in St. Elizabeth Parrish, Jamaica. I lived in a small cabin perched on a cliff at the edge of the island, about 30 feet above a private beach with a tidal pool the size of a jacuzzi. There was, however, no electricity or running water. It was a lot like wilderness camping. Because there was no electricity, when the sun went down it got rather dark. I usually turned in at nightfall and rose with the sun the next day. Before falling asleep each night I would play my alto kalimba in the dark. In the darkness the kalimba began to reveal itself to me and to speak to me in new ways.

What took me to Jamaica was my knowledge of mento music, a style of folk music played in Jamaica prior to the advent of ska, rock steady, and reggae. Harry Belefonte used to sing some mento songs. I traveled to Jamaica a second time in 2001. On that trip I made a circuit around the island in a rented car. Subsequently, I have incorporated a number of mento songs into my repertoire.

KM: I get the sense that the kalimba ties in with your identity as an African American - can you elaborate on that?

OW: Of course the kalimba is tied to my identity as an African American. Kalimba is not the only African instrument I play. I also play drums in the Djembe Orchestra, Endongo (Bugandan Bowl Lyre) and Adungu (Acholi 12 string bow harp). Part of what I do as a folklorist and storyteller is dispel the myth that Africans never contributed anything of value to humanity. By playing, displaying, and talking about these wonderful instruments I am seeking to instill a sense of pride and dignity in people of African descent about significant contributions made to mankind by African people. The kalimba opened the door for me in this endeavor.

KM: I know that Africans brought the kalimba to Brazil, the Carribean, and New Orleans in the 1700s when they were brought to the New World as slaves. Do you know of any traditions of historic kalimba use among black people in Florida?

OW: I never thought to research any kalimba traditions in Florida, but thanks for the question. I'm gonna start looking into things. Aside from myself, Jomo is the only player I am familiar with in Florida. On his CD there is a track performed by a group of his students. Over the past two summers I have taught about 6 children to play. Perhaps Jomo and I are the start of a Florida tradition...we'll see.

KM: Tell us a story about an unusual performance you've given.

OW: In 2003, I was working as a taxi driver in Tallahassee. One afternoon in early October, I was dispatched to pick up a passenger at a local WalMart. The passenger turned out to be a women with whom I was well acquainted. Her daughter and my daughter had been playmates as children, but over the years we had lost contact. I'll call her Kay (not her real name). Kay was pregnant and due to deliver in a few days. She asked me if I might be available to take her to the birth center when she went into labor. I told her that all she needed to do was call me at that time. She did. It was about 2am! I drove her to the birth center and escorted her to the birthing room. As I prepared to leave, Kay asked me if I had my kalimba with me. "Of course", I replied, "I always have it with me."

"Would you play for me?" She asked. I was surprised at such a request, but I don't think it's possible to refuse a women who is in labor. Little did I know that I would be playing for six hours. I must have played every song I know several times. It was one of the most powerful and spiritual experiences I have ever had. There was a point when the energy in the room was so strong that the walls seemed to pulsate. I have subsequently lost touch with Kay again. She moved away from Tallahassee before the baby was a year old. I would love to see that little boy again. He was born with a smile on his face.

KM: That is beautiful. I have played for people as they were dying - that was also a deeply spiritual experience. I have played for both my sons while they were in the womb. But playing for a birthing mother and her child just sounds so beautiful!

So, you just had a birthday. Happy birthday. As I get older, I feel that it is more and more important that I do something good with my time. How do you feel?

OW: At 63, I can't say that I feel as though each moment is more important. I think we experience important moments throughout our lives. However, as I have aged, I've become more conscious of the importance of moments. I savor moments now as they occur, but I also reflect on past moments and now I consider their impact on my life in more profound ways than I did when they occurred.

KM: Tell us about how you use the kalimba in story telling.

OW: I mentioned the "M" Ensemble Co. Inc. in Miami. That's the theatre company I co-founded back in 1971. Before we got a facility to work in, we prepared poetry shows at the homes of our members. We formed the "M" Ensemble Percussion Ensemble which provided accompaniment for the poets (It was around that time when I purchsed my first kalimba). I brought that experience with me to Tallahassee, but I didn't initially have an ensemble of actors to perform with. I got together with a percussionist in Tallahassee and we began to search for material we could use for some type of cultural presentation. We gravitated toward African and African American folklore. My partner eventually moved away and I continued as a solo storyteller.

For three consecutive summers during the 90's, I worked with another storyteller, Hank Taylor. The two of us traveled to city parks in the Public Library's "Bookmobile" with a thirty minute program of music, storytelling, and puppetry. Hank played fiddle and banjo. It was while performing with him that I began to use the kalimba more in presentations. Now, I have stories with accompanying songs, a few songs that are used in childrens' games, and a variety of folk songs from the African diaspora. I'm currently learning "Nyangara the Python" from Hugh Tracey's book, "The Lion on the Path".

KM: Best to you with learning "Nyangara the Python" - I've got "The Lion on the Path" CD in my car right now, and that is one of the stories with song that I have been trying to learn! ("The Lion on the Path" is a collection of stories that Hugh Tracey presented on radio in Durban, South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s. It is available in a two CD set and as a book. It represents a window into African stories and song before westernization and commercialization.)

Do you have any parting thoughts you'd like to leave us with, Olusegun?

OW: For the last two years I've been crusading to make the kalimba a mainstream instrument. Having instruments with built in pickups has aided immensely in that process. I played a gig in a club in Tallahassee this summer where my kalimba was the only keyboard instrument on a stage with 8 other musicians. I'm still trying to get my hands on the recording of that show!

KM: All the best to you in your efforts!

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Olusegun Williams' Music

People Who Could Fly is Olusegun's adaptation of an African American folktale from Julius Lester's book "Black Folktales" (1969, Grove Press). It is on the CD "Greatness Grows In The Ghetto" released in 1995 by his band Phoenix Uprising. Olusegun is the storyteller. The songs played on alto kalimba are "Rivers of Babylon" and "Fly Away Home". The sound effects were created live in the studio with the exception of the scream, which is from "Four Dead In Ohio" by the Isley Brothers.

Five In The Middle of the Army was released about two months ago. The song, written by friend Jaron Lawson, appears on his CD "King Law" which was released about two months ago. The kalimba part is sort of buried in the mix.

My Ancestors, which appears on Kehinde Spencer's CD "A Woman's Reprieve", features Olusegun on treble kalimba and shekere with a vocalist. He set Kehinde's lyrics to music in three time signatures, 4/4, 5/4, and 6/8. His idea was to create a seamless transition between time signatures with the shekere and let the kalimba and vocals follow.