Slipping Into Darkness

I, Ra Hendricks, am son, brother, father, grandfather and friend. What I do is promote and stage live events which illustrate the breadth of music created by Brothers and Sisters of Africa whether they be born on the continent itself or in the Diaspora.

I recall my first experience of listening to music in Guyana, the land of my birth, when I would listen to Nat King Cole’s velvet voice broadcast on the radio and wonder how a sound could possess such purity. Then, I heard a steel orchestra playing in a public park in Georgetown, the capital.

I have no religious background and limited musical training, I studied the clarinet for 4 years at school, but continue to find myself emotionally moved by the sentiment expressed by the voice whether in Jazz, the Blues, Soul, Kaiso, Reggae, Traditional African and its Asian counterpart, Quawwali! Then, there are the players of instruments and My Cup Runneth Over. I’m certain I’m not alone in being able to listen to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb on the majestic recording, ‘Kind of Blue’, again and again and hear something new each time. The perception is of course in the ears of the listener.

Sharing and enjoying the best of the above is my ultimate goal! Bob Marley, in the lyrics of ‘Trenchtown Rock’, gives the best description of the artform I have yet to hear:

‘One t’ing about Music, when it hits, You feel no pain!’