For just over 2 decades now, Sekou Lumumba has recorded and toured with many luminaries of the Canadian music scene: producer Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan, Rufus Wainwright), Chantal Kreviazuk, Big Wreck, Bedouin Soundclash, Thornley, Esthero, Jully Black, Divine Brown, Ivana Santilli, Kardinal Ofishall, and Incubus’ bassist Ben Kenney, to name a few.
His ability to seamlessly switch from one music style to another (rock, r ‘n’ b, punk, house, latin, drum n’ bass, reggae, etc), has made him a first call session musician in multiple genres. He is currently an active studio player as well as the live/touring drummer for Serena Ryder and Big Wreck.
The first time I heard/met Sekou Lumumba, he was playing drums in an R&B band at a 2 level restaurant in Toronto called Alto Basso. The entrance to the restaurant was on the main floor and the band was setup in the basement in what was basically an open room with a dance floor. As soon as I walked in the joint, I noticed the drums. Such creative playing with a bunch if unique and interesting sounds. When I walked down the stairs I was even more blown away: all of those sounds were coming from a drummer that was playing a 2 piece kit (kick drum and snare) with hi hats and one 2 cymbal stack. I couldn’t believe how musical Sekou’s playing was and how he managed to create floor tom sounds by playing the kick drum with a stick and managed to get all kinds of cymbal sounds out of just that one stack.
Eventually we played some gigs together and I was blown away by his pocket. As a bass player it was such a comfortable groove to sit in and he was always driving the energy of the songs ahead but never rushing.
I sat down with Sekou to talk about musicianship: things like the pocket, being versatile in different genres, who inspires him and what he looks for in the musicians that he shares the stage with.
In this clip Sekou talks about the most important skill that he looks for in a bass player. As a drummer who his highly sought after in many genres of music, his answer is worth taking note of for all bass players and musicians.
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Enjoyed this interview? Check out our interview with Toronto Session Bassist Calvin Beale.
