Worrying is praying for what you don't want

April 30, 2011 4:26 PM

I asked what he had in mind, and he explained that he was taking a friend and embarking on a round-the-world trip, from the jungles of Africa to the streets of New York by way of India and Australasia, and planning to record any musicians he could find on the way into his Apple Powerbook, using it as a fully fledged multitrack recording studio. His intention thereby, he claimed, was to create a CD, DVD, and documentary film, all three of which would provide a snapshot of mankind at the turn of the new Millennium, and form a vast multimedia project designed to, as he put it, "celebrate the unity and the diversity of humanity".

1 Giant Leap is a multimedia project by Duncan Bridgeman (ex-Tribal Drift) and Jamie Catto (ex-Faithless). Armed with a laptop and recording equipment (and a video camera), they traveled around the world for six months recording musicians and filming interviews with thinkers ranging from Dennis Hopper and Tom Robbins to Ram Dass and Rabbi Yosef Kantor, one of two rabbis in Thailand. The resulting CD and DVD project was 2002's 1 Giant Leap: Unity Through Diversity. [NPR review, RealAudio link 4m37s]

Music:
Dunya Salam (featuring Baaba Maal)
My Culture [official music video] (featuring Robbie Williams and Maxi Jazz) [bonus live performance from Later]
The Way You Dream (featuring Michael Stipe and Asha Bhosle)
Ma' Africa (featuring The Mahotella Queens and Ulali, poem by Moseo)
Braided Hair [official music video] (featuring Speech and Neneh Cherry and Ulali)
Ta Moko [extended instrumental mix, original unavailable online] (featuring Whirimako Black)
Bushes (featuring Baaba Maal) [unavailable online]
Passion (featuring Michael Franti)
Daphne (featuring Eddi Reader and The Mahotella Queens and Revetti Sakalkar)
All Alone (On Eilean Shona)
Racing Away (featuring Grant-Lee Phillips and Horace Andy)
Ghosts (featuring Eddi Reader)

Video: [excerpted segments from the DVD]
Masks & Roles [9m7s] (featuring Ram Dass, Linton Kwese Johnson, Revetti and Dr. Sakalkar, Dennis Hopper, Lynne Franks)
Confrontation [9m56s] (featuring Fred Reid, David Oldfield, George Nuku)
God: Unity [10m45s] (featuring Jerry Sadowitz, Linesh Shesh, Tom Robbins, Gabrielle Roth, Dennis Hopper, Speech, Hilda Buthelezi, Rabbi Yosef Kantor)
Inspiration [11m1s] (featuring T.O. Jazz, Kaolin Thompson, Ram Dass, Baaba Maal, Maxi Jazz, Kurt Vonnegut, Dennis Hopper, Tom Robbins, George Nuku)
Happiness [9m34s] (featuring Gabrielle Roth, Tom Robbins, Elders of the Tachi Reservation, Kurt Vonnegut)

behind the scenes [8m18s]

In 2004, the duo set out into the world again for a second project. This time their travels lasted for four years instead of six months, and they doubled the number of people they interviewed and musicians they recorded. The result was the double-CD and double DVD project, 2009's 1 Giant Leap: What About Me?

Music:
Come To The Edge (featuring Lila Downs and Huun Huur Tu)
Each Step Moves Us On (featuring Zap Mama and Speech)
How Can I Be A Better Friend To You? (featuring Jhelisa Anderson [autoplay music] and Maxi Jazz)
There's Nothing Wrong With Me (featuring Jhelisa Anderson and Oumou Sangaré)
Are You My Love? (featuring Daniel Lanois and Eddi Reader)
Wounded In All The Right Places (featuring k.d. lang)
I Have Seen Trouble (featuring Aluta and Michael Stipe)
Solita Sin Solidad (featuring Lila Downs and Carlos Santana)
Serenity Prayer (featuring Huun Huur Tu, MXO and Eddi Reader)
1 Small Step (featuring Baaba Maal and Nana Tsiboe)
Why Must I Feel Like This Today? (featuring Baaba Maal, Michael Franti, Ulali, Radio Active, and Krishna Das)

Under A Stormy Sky / I've Been Away (featuring Haale, Michael Franti, Maxi Jazz, Eddi Reader and Daniel Lanois)
What I Need Is Something Different (featuring Speech and Boots Riley)
Mothers, Don't Cry (featuring Miss Honda, Ramata Diakite and Miles Solay)
The Truth Is Changing (featuring Will Young and Amampondo)
Freedom (featuring Nana Tsiboe and African Show Boys)
Arrival (featuring Alanis Morissette, Eugene Hütz, El Tanbura and Aida Samb)
Forgive Me (featuring Sharon Lewis, Suzue and Amjad Ali Khan)
Set Me Free (featuring Yungchen Lhamo, Rokia Traore, Sussan Deyhim and Joseph Arthur)
What I Need Is Something Different (Dub) (featuring Speech and Boots Riley)

Video: [excerpted segments from the What About Me? DVD]
Trailer for What About Me? [8m31s]
Bombardment Part 1 [6m59s] Part 2 [6m48s]
Loss (extract) [8m5s]

The 12-chapter film can be seen online in its entirety. [85minutes]
A follow-up Q&A session with Duncan and Jamie after a showing of What About Me? Part 1 [9m7s] Part 2 [7m54s]

What About Me? was also a seven part television series which documented Duncan and Jamie's travels around the planet making the series. It aired in several countries around the world. (YouTube page for television series -- videos not available in USA, cannot determine where they can be viewed.) These episodes are on the second DVD in the What About Me? DVD set.
Chapter 1 Trailer "Bombardment" [1m43s]
Chapter 2 Trailer "Wounded" [1m47s]
Chapter 3 Trailer "Men & Women" [1m30s]
Chapter 4 Trailer "Love and Need" [1m27s]
Chapter 5 Trailer "The Wanting & The Freedom" [1m33s]
Chapter 6 Trailer "Grace" [1m28s]
Chapter 7 Trailer "The Journey" [2m10s]

Bonus video footage: Duncan Bridgeman interviewed on NibbanaTV Part 1 [9m47s] Part 2 [10m] Part 3 [10m]

Painting Duncan Bridgeman [7m10s]

Interview with Duncan Bridgeman [10m8s]

posted by hippybear (5 comments total)

Happy Beltane, everyone! Much fertile cross-pollination for everyone!
posted by hippybear at 4:26 PM on April 30, 2011

Epic post and I love the title.
posted by shothotbot at 6:00 PM on April 30, 2011

I was unable to find online links for Revetti Sakalkar, Fred Reid, Hilda Buthelezi, and T.O. Jazz. If anyone has good links to provide background and other works by these artists, I'd love to see them linked in the comment thread.
posted by hippybear at 6:14 PM on April 30, 2011

Oh, and Miss Honda, and Aida Samb, and Suzue. Anything more on those artists would also be welcome.
posted by hippybear at 7:46 PM on April 30, 2011

T.O. Jazz, led by Ghanaian Thomas Osei Ampoumah, played highlife and palm wine music.

The group appears on a few modern compilations, like Ghana Special, Vintage Palmwine and Bokoor Beats (thrown together and not really my strong suit--apologies for any errors or omissions or whatnot).
posted by box at 11:41 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]