The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance started 11 years ago as a concert to benefit local AIDS support organization AIDS work at the State Theater in Ithaca NY. Featured artists were Donna the Buffalo and pals The Horse Flies,and Neon Baptist. Today, it has grown into a wonderful summer institution, a rural festival with camping, ritual, high spirits, dancing 'til the wee hours, and lots of great African music in the programming.

This year's lineup included two performances by the Super Rail Band, the Mahotella Queens, Samite, and Mamadou Diabaté--who actually lives in Ithaca--and a sensational set from Rokia Traore.

I caught two days of the action, arriving with the Super Rail Band for their midnight set on Friday night. Under a waxing moon and a sultry summer sky, a merry crowd of campers and festival revelers danced to the lashing rhythms of Mali's most powerful dance band. For listeners weaned on free-flowing rock and jam bands, the slithering, fast guitar lines that Djelimady Tounkara pours forth during a Rail Band set really hit the spot. This is not necessarily a "world music" crowd. Outside these African acts, and a Brazilian capoera ensemble, most of the music at Grassroots is all-American. That makes the charm all the greater when music like that of the Super Rail Band gets such a warm and vigorous reception.

After their extended set, Djelimady was actually spirited off the stage by an enthusiastic young couple who insisted that he visit their campsite and jam a little after-hours acoustic music with them. Unused to this sort of approach from concert fans, he went along, and returned quite touched by the encounter.

The next day the Rail Band played in the mid-afternoon, in bright sunlight. Though sweating profusely in the heat, the band held back nothing, and once again, the crowd went wild. Soon afterwards, there was a taste of cooler Malian music when kora-ace Mamadou Diabaté went on with his excellent four-piece group: Abdoulaye Diabaté on vocals, Moussa Diabaté on guitar, and Bala Kouyaté on balafon. The set was gorgeous and went over strongly with the crowd. The Rail Band--far more discerning critics--stayed to listen and were quite amazed by the level of the set. Djelimady was circulating back stage telling the Malians there that some of the acoustic groups back home had better look out. What a surprise to find that perhaps the best group of the lot make their homes in New York State.

At one point in the set, Mamadou put his kora aside and picked up a 6-string kamelengoni the smaller, pentatonic harp used in Wassoulolu music. "This is my first time to play this on stage," he told the crowd. And of course, he shredded. The funky Wassoulou rhythms really got people moving, and the Malian critics backstage were chalking up more points for the New Yorkers.

The Mahotella Queens of South Africa were also on hand that afternoon, soaking up the music and goofing around with the Rail Band members, despite the language barrier. Bamba Dembele, the Rail Band's djembe master and front man, kept singing the refrain from the Queens' big hit with Mahlathini, "Kazet." The line he remembered was Nobesuthu singing "Eeee! Eeee!" and Mahlathini answering, "That's nice. Nice, nice." The Queens insisted that this song was no longer in the repertoire, but then, when they took the stage themselves at dark, they finished their set with it, a gesture to the very insistent Bamba.

After Mamadou's transcendent set finished, there was a lovely set of old time music from Jon Specker, rather inspired programming given the little publicized connections between Malian and American old time string music. With sweet harmonies and fiddle lines lingering in the air, the Malian and South African musicians were having a lively party backstage with their American friends. I've been to a lot of festivals, and too often, African groups are moved in and out and never really get to listen to the other acts and socialize. So this was a sweet moment, culminating in a photo opportunity by a stack of hay bails out in the field before the stage.

When the Mahotella Queens took the stage singing, "Jesus, What a Wonder you Are," the Muslim members of the Rail Band were in raptures backstage, praising the voices, the harmonies, and the soulful guitar playing. Then when the Queens busted into their driving mbaqanga sound, they got a taste of a variety of Afropop far from West Africa, but they had to agree, very exciting.

Kudos to Grassroots for another great festival, and especially for their openness to Africa. For more on the festival, keep an eye on www.grassrootsfest. org. Planning for next year is probably already underway. (Bamba told the crowd that the Rail Band would be doing 3 shows there next year. But do the organizers know?)

Contributed by: Banning Eyre