Watch the videoFor decades, college students have found inspiration in the melodic bass lines, relaxing rhythms and familiar sentiments about love and having a good time espoused by the most well-known Bob Marley songs. But at Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, professor Matt Jenson is taking students in his class, The Music and Life of Bob Marley to a deeper level of understanding of and appreciation for reggae.
Naturally, the students coming out of the class go on to become adept at covering reggae classics. But they're taking something more with them as well -- they're learning the value of being able to communicate with their audience through music, a concept that Ziggy, Stephen and the other Marley siblings take seriously in their own music careers.
"When you're a young artist, you want to study artists you idolize and love," Jenson pointed out one sunny day last month after the last Marley class of the semester. "So we study Marley's music as deeply as possible and try to sound as close to him as possible. The challenge after internalizing that is to take a step away and filter it into yourself because you are not Marley ??? and you come out of that making your own statement."
Bob, Jenson says, "was into helping to raise awareness, confidence and dignity of the downtrodden peoples, not just of Jamaica but of the world." While those messages may not be the same issues his students feel a desire to take on themselves, Jenson's class gives them the tools to use their gifts for composing and performing to create a dialogue about how to make the world a better place.
Vocalist Wendy Simmons says modeling her music by interpreting the work of an artist who came before has always felt like the best way to learn about her field. "My whole life, I've been taught to study from the past, so [when I was selected to perform Bob's parts], I thought, 'It's time to do my homework, get all the DVDs, listen to the music ??? walk in his shoes for a little bit to get a better understanding of what he was doing.' And now I have a better understanding of what he was going through."
Simmons' deep sound and wide range are proof that she has really started to feel the emotion and message behind Bob's lyrics and music. In fact, Jenson pointed out that she was the first female selected as lead vocalist of The Bob Marley Music Ensemble, a part that has typically been reserved for a deeper male voice. Part of the reason for her success goes beyond her technical skill and into her ability to connect with the source of the original compositions and the contemporary audiences she performs for.
Trombonist Brian House, who completed "The Life and Music of Bob Marley" this past semester, also found that a closer study of Marley's music gave him a new respect for how his playing affected his audience. It taught him to relate to his listeners, he said, and not just improvise something that they might not find accessible. "The roots of this music are based on giving power to the people and making sure those in power treat power with respect and don't manipulate it," House said. "I try to get down to the truth of what is going on for the people who I'm playing for, what they would need out of the performance to gain something and walk away with the deeper spiritual gift we can give through music."
Bassist Stephanie Willis agreed, emphasizing that "some music's about ego" rather than about communicating something worthwhile. Reggae, she's discovered, is best when it's full of emotion -- and Bob's music taught her how to play with more feeling. "I've learned a lot about time and grooving," she said. "I used to think you have to play behind the beat. But I found out you have to play on the beat because reggae is about energy and some songs are protest songs and you need that energy. And some songs are about love, and you need to play with love. Most of all, you have to play with emotion."
The young bassist has certainly mastered both those bass lines and that emotion-powered energy. She's also come to understand how her art can be used to do more than simply entertain. "[The class] made me realize that an artist can really have a huge influence on bringing to light things that need to be brought to light," she said. "It gave me a lot of respect for Bob Marley because his music had a message and it was, 'Unite.' He was fighting for peace."