Congo Beat
He fled war in Africa to make a new life in Ireland. Now Niwel Tsumbu has established himself as one of the country’s most intriguing guitar men.
Colm O Hare, 14 Oct 2011
It’s a long way from the central African republic of Congo to the People’s Republic but that’s where Niwel Tsumbu found himself when he arrived in Ireland in 2004.
“A lot of people were leaving The Congo around that time due to the situation there,” he says. “I had a friend in Cork and that’s where I ended up”.
In his seven years as an honorary Corkonian, Tsumbu has forged a reputation as a distinctive guitarist, vocalist and composer and has collaborated with the cream of Irish musicians. With two albums to his name and a third – S ’all Vibration – about to be released, he describes his music as a blend of two traditions and a fusion of world, jazz and classical music, informed by the music of his homeland.
“My goal is to take the music of my land, and add my own voice to it, which is shaped from everything I hear from Ireland and from around the world,” he continues. “My music has changed a lot in the past few years. I like evolving and I like new sounds. I also like tradition but I don’t stay stuck in the past.”
Tsumbu has been playing guitar since he was about 16 in a style that originated in The Congo.
“It involves a lot of high notes on the guitar – kind of like the hi-life music of Nigeria, which is very much designed for dancing. It’s a modern music style that started in the late ‘60s, usually with a line-up of drums, bass and electric guitar. These are still the important instruments in the music.”
Playing both electric and acoustic, he swaps instruments to suit the sound and the line-up he happens to be playing with at the time, which he says can vary from solo to trio, quartet to quintet and beyond.
“I recorded using a Yamaha SG. Now I have a Godin, which I use mostly when playing live. Acoustic-wise I use a Taylor nylon-string which I really like. I never was really into acoustic steel-string guitars. My style when I use acoustic is to fingerpick, a kind of a classical technique. On the electric I always use the plectrum. I have my own ways of playing and I like figuring out things for myself. I would take the standard technique and personalise it. Recording is a different process for me than playing live. It’s kind of experimenting using the studio as an instrument. I wouldn’t try to replicate it live.”
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