Preserving History Brings Us to the Contemporary – in Conversation With Ġużè Camilleri
Ġużè Camilleri is a drummer, educator, and producer – and all of these sides to Ġużè are inextricably interconnected. You know him from various projects such as Djun, Brikkuni, Blue Tangerine, SFERA, and Każett; projects that cover a vast range of styles and sounds. Yet no matter the genre, Ġużè sits at the drum kit with a signature blend of restraint and style – a maturity that comes from years of studying the musical wisdom of past generations. And as the son of the great Joe ‘Bibi’ Camilleri, jazz history is quite literally in Ġużè’s blood.
Beyond his forte as a musician, Ġużè has a wonderful mission – to document and preserve Maltese music history; to uncover the stories of people who have reached great heights or have been an instrumental cultural force, but whose influence is unknown or undercelebrated. This venture began with Ġużè discovering Tony Carr – George Caruana – a drummer from the 1960s who played with Ella Fitzgerald and Paul McCartney, amongst other legends. As part of SUGU.tv, Ġużè is working to create a documentary about Tony Carr’s story – Strait Street to Abbey Road.
I asked Ġużè about his mission to preserve music history, and how it has shaped his worldview and approach as a musician. His answers are an absolute joy to read, and I’m sure they will resonate with you. If they do, please consider joining the crowdfunding campaign for Strait Street to Abbey Road – it’s such an important project.
You are and have been involved in many projects aiming to document Maltese jazz history — including Strait Street to Abbey Road, Anecdotes of Early Maltese Jazz, and Murgo-Ħoss. What sparked your desire and trajectory to educate people about our jazz history?
Ġużè: It all started back in 2015 when I discovered drummer/percussionist Tony Carr and his contribution to popular music. Initially, my aim was to research the life and career of Carr but his story inspired me to delve deeper into the early years of jazz in Malta.
Actually, all three projects evolved from this same research project and are very much interconnected. I had set up the interview with Sammy Murgo because I wanted to learn more about Juice Wilson as both Sammy and Wilson were contemporaries of Carr. Sammy was such a welcoming person and had such a compelling life story, that I got curious and could not help but delve deeper into it.
Anecdotes of Maltese Early Jazz seeks to explore connections between the life stories, the cultural backgrounds, and the music penned by artists of that period.
The motivation to research Carr came from asking myself how Carr and his career were never mentioned within the community of musicians, let alone on a national level. Very few people know about him. Locally there are some articles written about him, yet I felt that there was more to be said, a bigger picture to be seen, and a better way to document his story.
I have observed that we Maltese often dismiss past achievements, claiming that our current endeavours are entirely new. I have seen some past artists face ridicule as well. So, all of this might have been one of the reasons why Carr was never mentioned locally. I personally find these matters disrespectful not just towards the past artists but also to our culture and to our way forward in growing further. We do not celebrate artists but then we tend to celebrate politics and anything that is competitive. I believe that culturally, this mentality keeps us stagnated and it can be very destructive.
While conducting this research, I also started to understand that the reason for all of this might be much more political. We're often impressed by what's going on in other countries, and it seems like everything there is better. The reasons for this could be many, but one reason is that some countries are good at preserving their culture. They have a good archive system that shows facts and is easily accessible for any enthusiasts who would want to conduct research and learn. They talk about the past and celebrate artists and their contributions to their scene. They understand that every period had its own contemporaries and what they created was done with all the limitations and tools they had during their time. They know things as they were from the beginning.
I think we all agree that many artists gave credit to artists from the past that they were interested in and influenced their art; artists they grew up listening to or researched – there is continuity. In Malta, we have what I like to call a broken history. We have no continuity on these topics, and it is manipulated by people who are in a position to do so. In my view, it should be a whole story, the way it evolved, which would be one way our cultural sector could grow. While we are limited and to be realistic very small, we cannot dismiss and forget the good artists we had and what they contributed to our society.
In Malta, we have an interesting and varied musical history and these projects aim to document and celebrate this. As I progressed on this journey of discovery, I became increasingly enthusiastic to share my findings in ways that could be appreciated by future generations who I’m certain will find them a source of inspiration, learning, and appreciation of the depth of our heritage.
What do you think any musician — even if they’re not necessarily jazz aficionados — can learn from Malta’s jazz pioneers?
Ġużè: The research is not just about one style of music and not only about Malta’s jazz pioneers, but it is also a way to discover the interconnection between the different styles, cultures, and life stories of musicians who have made history. I started to document local jazz pioneers because jazz is one of the first styles in popular music, and in the 30s and 40s that was what some of our local contemporary musicians of the time played. It is quite intriguing in that it connects us with the global music scene. Some of the young talents of the time were exposed to the style and they had an interest in exploring it and developing it further to make a living.
While it is not the only way, knowing about the past can help anyone move forward in any field they wish to advance in. This is because you can take lessons that might be relevant to the current trends and may inspire ideas for it with the creating the new. The past helps us understand who we really are and where we come from. It can help us evolve our individual sound as musicians. I still find many struggle to be authentic in our culture.
While there are different ways to fulfill your aspirations, It is of great support to have role models and learn about their journey. In this case, Carr’s journey is a good example. Certainly, his story helped me and it can also help any musician become a better one. For those who are not musicians, understanding our culture can facilitate more meaningful discussions and interactions on cultural topics. In general, I feel that some people tend to talk about a subject without a solid understanding as if they know all about it when in reality they have very limited knowledge of it and much less a real experience of its significance.
That is what research has taught me and that is what it is all about, knowing facts. Having a whole history of truth about our culture enables people to discuss topics with greater insight and knowledge, ultimately contributing to the enrichment of our culture and ensuring continuity.
Other narratives that captivate my interest involve the contributions and collaborations of African-American musicians with local artists. For instance, Juice Wilson, a multi-instrumentalist, and Levy Wine, a tap dancer, drummer, and singer – both of African-American descent – played a pivotal role in shaping Maltese jazz during the 1940s. In the interviews I conducted, Carr spoke about Wilson and Wine and gave them credit for learning the feeling of playing jazz from them. Other locals had a similar experience. This helps to delve into the profound impact of African art on the Western world and in my view has the potential to mitigate racism.
Nix Mangiari is your independent record label, focusing on drums, percussion, and education. What is your long-term goal in terms of what you want to achieve with the label?
Ġużè: It started back in 2018 with the idea of bringing international percussion players and educators to hold workshops/masterclasses and collaborate with different local musicians in small concert settings. It is something that I aim to keep doing. That is the educational part of it. The idea to extend Nix Mangiari as an independent label came up recently when I decided to self-release the live concert of Anecdotes of Maltese Early Jazz on vinyl. While this first release is based on arrangements of past jazz composers, my long-term goal is to release contemporary projects for myself and other upcoming artists.
What I love about your website is that although you’re very obviously steeped in the jazz tradition, the first thing you see when you load it is the word ’Contemporary’. And indeed, you are a contemporary musician, playing in a wide range of acts from Franco-Maltese jazz group Blue Tangerine, to alt-pop powerhouse Djun, to Brikkuni — and various others. How has your education and research in the field of jazz history shaped the way you approach playing in more contemporary projects?
Ġużè: As a matter of fact, this is related to what I said above. Researching Tony Carr and understanding his career also motivated me to collaborate on other contemporary projects. Carr contributed to different styles of popular music from the 1950s to the 1980s. He started playing jazz because that was the style he grew up with, but later in his career he adapted and explored different styles of music to keep himself relevant to the times.
I never considered myself only a jazz drummer, even though many may perhaps see me in this way. I always considered myself a student of the instrument and rhythm. The drum kit, in just over a century, has widely contributed to popular music and evolved in different styles. I find beauty in most of these styles and I always wanted to learn and understand them in depth, from what are the basic authentic features of each style to a rhythmical and cultural point of view to the connection between one and the other.
Rhythm is another topic that I explore deeply because rhythm is what changes the style, there is a rhythmical connection between styles of music which I find fascinating.
Of course, jazz to me is very important. I often get asked whether jazz is part of popular music. Jazz preceded many other styles of music which continued to evolve from there. An example of this is the change from jazz to rock in the mid-1950s. Nowadays, everything is mostly a fusion of styles, fused with the aid of current technology.
Tony Carr also narrates how most of the session players who worked during the golden era of albums were jazz musicians. They all first made a name for themselves in jazz, then continued to do session work. Case in point, Carr himself had a similar experience. Another thing to point out is that the drum kit came about in the same period as the evolution of styles of popular music.
All of these aspects are of great interest to me and have given me a better understanding of what I want to do and my approach to drums and percussion.
You’re extremely active in the music scene and have performed various styles across many projects. Is there a style of music that’s on your bucket list to explore further?
Ġużè: I had to take some time off from my regular practice to focus on research and writing. This period helped me develop other ideas, and other projects emerged from it. My plan is to get back to my practice routine to discover more about drums and percussion, rhythm in particular, and to keep collaborating and creating new material in the contemporary field. Style is an ongoing research, it is something I will keep on exploring. When you play a style of music, in a way you are also reflecting the culture from which that particular style evolved. When you study rhythm everything becomes unlabelled, so that is the other thing I am presently exploring.
With this in mind, I am currently collaborating on a new project, Każett, with Gabi Sultana (piano) and Koen Tryssesoone (electronics). While we are exploring different repertoires, we are also experimenting with creating new sounds through improvisation. As the drummer and percussionist of this project, I am rediscovering once again the beauty of studying the fundamentals of rhythm and styles. Now I can experiment and ‘break the rules’ by deconstructing elements to create new rhythms and sounds on the instrument. I look forward to continuing to explore this path with Każett and discovering where it leads us.