Dec 30, 2025
Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
Musician-Filmmaker Searches for Soul
by Steven Middlestein
At the Festival in the Desert (2011) with JeConte & The Mali Allstars: (lft-rt) Sekou Bah (bass), Boubacar Sidibe (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica), JeConte (Vocals, Harmonica), Adama Dramé (Lead Guitar, Vocals), and Mamadou Kone (Percussion). . photo: courtesy J. ConteOn Wednesday, March 22nd, 2012, Bay Area musician and filmmaker Joe Conte walked into one of the big hotels in Bamako, Mali, to use the high speed Internet. Little did he know that he was stepping into the heart of the coup d’etat that would throw Mali into the quagmire it is currently facing today.
Bamako is a "Wild Wild East" sort of town, full of exotic people, market bustle and great musicians, literally the ancient gatekeepers for the roots of the blues, and Conte, or JeConte as he is known in Mali, was digging the hell out of it.
Indeed, Conte has traveled to Mali four times over the last three years and lived there for the first three months of this year, shooting a documentary, "Search for the Soul", and recording with his Malian band JeConte & The Mali Allstars. He plays harmonica and sings some great blues.
Conte, who has previously worked in the studio with Carlos Santana, owns his own production company, OLA.TV in Marin, and has traveled the world shooting for his startup OnlineAdventure.com. His current film project, "Search for the Soul", started in 2009, is a travel and music documentary series based on the trope of Conte asking folks where the soul comes from and what it means to them.
An ongoing online series, "Search for the Soul" will eventually be edited for broadcast and culminate in a documentary film. It is also supported by SoulNow.Org (Save Our Universal Language NOW) a not-for-profit also started by the hardworking Conte.
Unfortunately, Conte's film and humanitarian work was interrupted that Wednesday by a loud blast of gunfire followed by hotel staff shooing everyone away from the windows. Evidently, rebels soldiers under Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo were seizing the national television station across the street.
Although Sanago claimed he overthrew the democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Toure to better fight the Tuareg rebellion in the North, he created a mess that has only assisted the Tuaregs, who in turn are split between mercenaries trained by Libya's Muammar Gadaffi and noble freedom fighters, symbolized by the master Tuareg guitarist Bambino who recently played Oakland.
The Vieux-Khaira Band (lft-rt): Adama Dramé, Vieux Farka Toure, Khaira Arby, and JeConte. photo: courtesy J. ConteConte was stuck in the hotel for four days, until he literally ‘made a break for it’ and snuck out the back getting the gardener to let him out. He made it back to his apartment and was fortunate to get a flight out of the country later in the week. Learn more about Conte being caught in the coup Mercury News article.
The experience has not effected Conte's passion for Mali however. For the past three years he has attended The Festival in the Desert, outside Timbuktu, Mali, both filming it and the local Tuareg culture as well as performing at the Festival with JeConte & The Mali Allstars, which he started after his first visit to Mali in 2009. They also performed at ‘The Festival in the Desert’ in 2011 and throughout Mali this year until the coup. Here's a clip from their Festival in the Desert 2012 performance:
This year, the Allstars have been in the studio working on "Mali Blues for Peace" and have just released a new single called "Le Monde de la Paix" with Vieux Farka Toure, Bassekou Koutaye & Khaira Arby. You can listen to it and/or download it off their website or see Mali Blues Video.
SoulNow is dedicated to documenting cultures affected by climate change and helping preserve their musical heritage. Mali is a perfect case in point. The encroaching desert is covering Tibuktu's ancient libraries in dunes while the nearby Festival in the Desert and Mali's many musicians are getting the people's story out. SoulNow’s goal is to build eco-conscious centers that both document and educate cultures, while introducing new technologies to help alleviate environmental challenges.
JeConte North of Timbuktu in the Sahara at a Camel Well. photo: courtesy J. ConteA pitch perfect Oakland story, from its blues roots to its mixed methods of reaching out to assist distant artist and cultures, CineSource was dying to talk to Conte.
We sat down with Conte recently to ask him a few questions about his projects:
CineSource: So why did you start Search for the Soul in the first place?
In August of 2009, my Love, my Light and my Life, Negrita Jayde, was taken from me tragically by cervical cancer. One year prior to her loss, my Father lost his battle to lung cancer. These personal losses forced me to take a step back and see the value of the Life we lead, the importance of being conscious, and the intrinsic value and potential that comes from our conscious decisions.
Above all, the 'greater universal connection' that this project can foster—through creating an environmental and social awareness and for bettering the lives of others—is pivotal to our lives as conscious, compassionate beings.
Why did you choose Mali?
Initially, I was not sure Mali was the right place, but Negrita and I had spoken about going to The Festival in the Desert so I wanted to go to the Sahara to find myself again, discover the Tuareg and perform at the Festival. Little did I know that I would find myself, there amidst the sands, and discover such a magical group of people, and be as inspired to do my best to help them any way I can.
How do you prepare for shooting a travel documentary?
Well I have a rule that less is more when I travel so I put out everything on the floor and then try to take half of what I have laid out. It is not always easy. Gear is essential and with that the most important item is a great tripod, as getting that long pan is essential, and of course great cameras.
If I had the ultimate budget perhaps I would have even more gear, but I have for the past three years used a 2 7D’s and HVIX 11 Video Canon. I think the next time I head out I will push for the 5D’s, but just have not had the budget.
Where are you headed next?
Ahh… Well I am going to stay in the Bay Area for a bit and hunker down, edit, prepare the first episode, and trailer, and work on getting sponsorship and backing. I have plans to make multiple trips to Louisiana, as the second episode focuses on the Cajun Culture. In April, direct from escaping the coup d’etat in Mali, I went to a studio in Maurice Louisiana called Dockside Studios and worked with Anders Osborne on the next JeConte release. It was an amazing experience. With everything I had been going through, we really created a special set of tunes. I exposed my soul down there and really felt a part of the Bayou.
Our goal with the music is to be a part of the culture we are in and we not only pulled from songs that I had been writing for years, but also captured a true Cajun swampy feel to the tunes. Moving forward we will be starting a Search for the Soul Records Discovery Series helping to discover great talent in all the regions we travel to, our goal in Louisiana will be to work with Cajun artists moving forward and help get their music out to the World.
How does your experience tie into Oakland, the blues, or inspiring underserved Oakland kids as well as helping Malian kids?
The blues is a part of us, and a big part of my soul, with everything I have gone through in my Life and having flown direct from one studio to the next we have a lot of blues to share right now. I have been saying for some time “Mali Blues is gonna get you…” so just you wait, it is coming, and coming in a big way. Working with Anders Osborne in Louisiana was amazing, especially escaping the coup to go direct to Dockside Studios.
Combine that with playing with Vieux Farka Toure, Bassekou Kouyate & Khaira Arby and it has been one serious, music making, run. The blues is all about the soul of this life and the soul is tied to all the kids of this planet.
That is what SoulNow.Org is all about, creating music centers for kids. We have a long way to go, but it is my hope that we will be able to help the children of Africa, and the remote cultures of the World, get their music out, and hopefully, bring it to the kids ‘and adults’ in the Western world, to towns like Oakland to inspire everyone to make a difference in the lives of others. As we say in the Sahara…Inshallah!!!
What else if anything would you like to share?
Well I really appreciate the interview. I would like to leave everyone with the fact that whatever it is that you want to do in this life you just have to go out and do it, stay the course, never give up, and eventually it will start to work. I have been non-stop trying to make all of this work for the past 2.5 years and will continue to stay at it the rest of my life. I know that if it is not tomorrow that things break, well then I just need to give it more time and focus.
I feel it is this conviction that keeps me going most of the time, knowing that if an opportunity does not go in our favor that, in time, it will. Knowing that what we are doing is for a greater cause will hopefully galvanize others to get involved. We will stay the course and hopefully see you out there…
Posted on Apr 26, 2012 - 02:01 AM
by Steven Middlestein
At the Festival in the Desert (2011) with JeConte & The Mali Allstars: (lft-rt) Sekou Bah (bass), Boubacar Sidibe (Rhythm Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica), JeConte (Vocals, Harmonica), Adama Dramé (Lead Guitar, Vocals), and Mamadou Kone (Percussion). . photo: courtesy J. ConteBamako is a "Wild Wild East" sort of town, full of exotic people, market bustle and great musicians, literally the ancient gatekeepers for the roots of the blues, and Conte, or JeConte as he is known in Mali, was digging the hell out of it.
Indeed, Conte has traveled to Mali four times over the last three years and lived there for the first three months of this year, shooting a documentary, "Search for the Soul", and recording with his Malian band JeConte & The Mali Allstars. He plays harmonica and sings some great blues.
Conte, who has previously worked in the studio with Carlos Santana, owns his own production company, OLA.TV in Marin, and has traveled the world shooting for his startup OnlineAdventure.com. His current film project, "Search for the Soul", started in 2009, is a travel and music documentary series based on the trope of Conte asking folks where the soul comes from and what it means to them.
An ongoing online series, "Search for the Soul" will eventually be edited for broadcast and culminate in a documentary film. It is also supported by SoulNow.Org (Save Our Universal Language NOW) a not-for-profit also started by the hardworking Conte.
Unfortunately, Conte's film and humanitarian work was interrupted that Wednesday by a loud blast of gunfire followed by hotel staff shooing everyone away from the windows. Evidently, rebels soldiers under Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo were seizing the national television station across the street.
Although Sanago claimed he overthrew the democratically elected President Amadou Toumani Toure to better fight the Tuareg rebellion in the North, he created a mess that has only assisted the Tuaregs, who in turn are split between mercenaries trained by Libya's Muammar Gadaffi and noble freedom fighters, symbolized by the master Tuareg guitarist Bambino who recently played Oakland.
The Vieux-Khaira Band (lft-rt): Adama Dramé, Vieux Farka Toure, Khaira Arby, and JeConte. photo: courtesy J. ConteThe experience has not effected Conte's passion for Mali however. For the past three years he has attended The Festival in the Desert, outside Timbuktu, Mali, both filming it and the local Tuareg culture as well as performing at the Festival with JeConte & The Mali Allstars, which he started after his first visit to Mali in 2009. They also performed at ‘The Festival in the Desert’ in 2011 and throughout Mali this year until the coup. Here's a clip from their Festival in the Desert 2012 performance:
This year, the Allstars have been in the studio working on "Mali Blues for Peace" and have just released a new single called "Le Monde de la Paix" with Vieux Farka Toure, Bassekou Koutaye & Khaira Arby. You can listen to it and/or download it off their website or see Mali Blues Video.
SoulNow is dedicated to documenting cultures affected by climate change and helping preserve their musical heritage. Mali is a perfect case in point. The encroaching desert is covering Tibuktu's ancient libraries in dunes while the nearby Festival in the Desert and Mali's many musicians are getting the people's story out. SoulNow’s goal is to build eco-conscious centers that both document and educate cultures, while introducing new technologies to help alleviate environmental challenges.
JeConte North of Timbuktu in the Sahara at a Camel Well. photo: courtesy J. ConteWe sat down with Conte recently to ask him a few questions about his projects:
CineSource: So why did you start Search for the Soul in the first place?
In August of 2009, my Love, my Light and my Life, Negrita Jayde, was taken from me tragically by cervical cancer. One year prior to her loss, my Father lost his battle to lung cancer. These personal losses forced me to take a step back and see the value of the Life we lead, the importance of being conscious, and the intrinsic value and potential that comes from our conscious decisions.
Above all, the 'greater universal connection' that this project can foster—through creating an environmental and social awareness and for bettering the lives of others—is pivotal to our lives as conscious, compassionate beings.
Why did you choose Mali?
Initially, I was not sure Mali was the right place, but Negrita and I had spoken about going to The Festival in the Desert so I wanted to go to the Sahara to find myself again, discover the Tuareg and perform at the Festival. Little did I know that I would find myself, there amidst the sands, and discover such a magical group of people, and be as inspired to do my best to help them any way I can.
How do you prepare for shooting a travel documentary?
Well I have a rule that less is more when I travel so I put out everything on the floor and then try to take half of what I have laid out. It is not always easy. Gear is essential and with that the most important item is a great tripod, as getting that long pan is essential, and of course great cameras.
If I had the ultimate budget perhaps I would have even more gear, but I have for the past three years used a 2 7D’s and HVIX 11 Video Canon. I think the next time I head out I will push for the 5D’s, but just have not had the budget.
Where are you headed next?
Ahh… Well I am going to stay in the Bay Area for a bit and hunker down, edit, prepare the first episode, and trailer, and work on getting sponsorship and backing. I have plans to make multiple trips to Louisiana, as the second episode focuses on the Cajun Culture. In April, direct from escaping the coup d’etat in Mali, I went to a studio in Maurice Louisiana called Dockside Studios and worked with Anders Osborne on the next JeConte release. It was an amazing experience. With everything I had been going through, we really created a special set of tunes. I exposed my soul down there and really felt a part of the Bayou.
Our goal with the music is to be a part of the culture we are in and we not only pulled from songs that I had been writing for years, but also captured a true Cajun swampy feel to the tunes. Moving forward we will be starting a Search for the Soul Records Discovery Series helping to discover great talent in all the regions we travel to, our goal in Louisiana will be to work with Cajun artists moving forward and help get their music out to the World.
How does your experience tie into Oakland, the blues, or inspiring underserved Oakland kids as well as helping Malian kids?
The blues is a part of us, and a big part of my soul, with everything I have gone through in my Life and having flown direct from one studio to the next we have a lot of blues to share right now. I have been saying for some time “Mali Blues is gonna get you…” so just you wait, it is coming, and coming in a big way. Working with Anders Osborne in Louisiana was amazing, especially escaping the coup to go direct to Dockside Studios.
Combine that with playing with Vieux Farka Toure, Bassekou Kouyate & Khaira Arby and it has been one serious, music making, run. The blues is all about the soul of this life and the soul is tied to all the kids of this planet.
That is what SoulNow.Org is all about, creating music centers for kids. We have a long way to go, but it is my hope that we will be able to help the children of Africa, and the remote cultures of the World, get their music out, and hopefully, bring it to the kids ‘and adults’ in the Western world, to towns like Oakland to inspire everyone to make a difference in the lives of others. As we say in the Sahara…Inshallah!!!
What else if anything would you like to share?
Well I really appreciate the interview. I would like to leave everyone with the fact that whatever it is that you want to do in this life you just have to go out and do it, stay the course, never give up, and eventually it will start to work. I have been non-stop trying to make all of this work for the past 2.5 years and will continue to stay at it the rest of my life. I know that if it is not tomorrow that things break, well then I just need to give it more time and focus.
I feel it is this conviction that keeps me going most of the time, knowing that if an opportunity does not go in our favor that, in time, it will. Knowing that what we are doing is for a greater cause will hopefully galvanize others to get involved. We will stay the course and hopefully see you out there…
Posted on Apr 26, 2012 - 02:01 AM
