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THE BiTS INTERVIEW: Ian

Brennan

Ian Brennan is a GRAMMY-winning producer (Best World Music 2011) with

three other GRAMMY-nominated records (Best World Music 2015, Best
Traditional Folk - 2006 and 2007).

Recently Ian has recorded in-situ recordings at Parchman Farm maximum
security prison aka Mississippi State Penitentiary. Brennan recorded the

prison's Sunday gospel service and the results are unforgettable.
The performances range from solo acappella to a floor-shaking electric band.

The repertoire included both traditional and newly penned spirituals.

"Some Mississippi Sunday Morning" is reviewed here.

BiTS: Let's make a start. Tell me something about what drives you. You've got lots and lots of
interests. You're all over the place with doing live music and recordings and whatever. Why are
you so driven?

IB: Music has been my focus from as far back as I can
remember. I mean, we're talking two, three, four, five,
six years old. I started playing drums when I was
five and guitar when I was six, and I'm just in love
with voices and I'm in love with diversity and the
through line for me is listening to voices that
are honest and not performative, that are
singing for their own salvation, so to speak, or
to impact others emotionally and not to make
money or be famous, but just to communicate.

BiTS: You've travelled the world recording people

and things, including Khmer Rouge, I believe, and
various other similar, sometimes called terrorists, but
maybe not terrorist organisations, after reading your
script, what's the interest in that?

IB: Well, my wife and I, Marilena
Umuhoza Delli, who does all the
photography and video, are
heavily invested in trying to
provide whatever platform
we can, modest platforms for underrepresented regions and, in particular, minoritised
populations within those regions. So the nuance of a place, but we have to start, I think culturally
meaning mass media, we have to start with the fact that so many countries are underrepresented.
There's no shortage of those. Basically, outside the English-speaking world, the Spanish-speaking
world, the Hindi-speaking world, the Mandarin-speaking world, there is very little awareness of
music outside of the linguistic borders, so outside of the country that the music originates from,
and sometimes even within those nations. And that's where the minoritised aspect comes in. So