Eric Bibb is a man born to sing. His father Leon was a mainstay of the New York folk scene in the 1950s and ’60s. His uncle was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. His godfather was the legendary actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson. You just don’t get more connected with the folk music and activist worlds than that.

When Fast Forward caught up with Bibb on his current North American tour, he was more than willing to talk about music, politics and the recent election of Barack Obama. It’s all related, he says, because it’s all a huge part of the collective African-American experience.

“My music, and the music that moves me, reveals a lot about the journey from being forced immigrants to having an African-American in the White House,” he says. “It is a momentous occasion, definitely. All the more amazing because many people didn’t see it happening now.” He adds that one of the results of the election is an incredible sense of optimism and hope that should dispel some of the angst felt by Americans over their country’s international standing.

This sense of optimism and hope has always permeated Bibb’s songwriting. Blues music is not all about despair and misery, he says, noting that “it can be celebratory. Hopefulness will make its way into popular culture and find its way into artistic expression,” Bibb predicts. “I have always had a reputation for being a positive person. Songwriting is a great way to communicate my personal feelings about life.”

Other influences that have lately found their way into his music include African and world music. On Saturday, November 22, Bibb will share the stage with The African Guitar Summit, a group he’s had some experience with already.

“I have had the opportunity to share workshop stages with people like Djelimady Tounkara, Habib Koite and the members of the African Guitar Summit at various festivals,” he says, “and I have been interested in African string music performed on guitars and the kora for a long time. It would be nice to continue exploring these influences and to collaborate with other musicians.”

While not promising anything, Bibb says this might even happen at the upcoming concert, providing that the two groups can find some way of ensuring that the quality of the performance is not compromised.

Current events influence much of Bibb’s songwriting. As a world traveller, he often finds himself influenced by the different circumstances he faces and the people and places he encounters. Books and historical events also provide inspiration, and Bibb has recently written and recorded a song, not yet released, about the 1927 Mississippi Flood. Despite his ties to a time-worn genre, the songwriter admits to being uncomfortable with sticking to song forms and subject matter that are too traditional.

“I try to write new songs that remind you of old songs. I like to think that I add something to the tradition,” he says, questioning the need of some modern songwriters to try to be radical and shocking. This isn’t his way of writing. Rather, Bibb thinks that songwriters need to be emotionally connected to the process and to their songs. The audience knows when performers are insincere, he says.

“If they are not hearing what they need, they will gravitate to those musicians who are closest to what they need,” he says. “They need to feel their own take on life reflected in the music. This is gratifying to the performer as well, because they get to leave the ego — in the sense of the self — behind and connect with the audience. It’s an intoxicating and powering feeling. When it happens, you feel naturally in synch with the audience.”

The BD&P World Music Series

Eric Bibb’s concert this Saturday kicks off the latest season of the BD&P World Music Series. Here is a pair of highlights from the coming season.

The Klezmatics (April 4)

Frank London is a legend in the world of Jewish music. One of the key figures in the Klezmer revival movement, he has worked with everyone from Chava Alberstein, Simon Shaheen and Ezma Redzepova to They Might Be Giants and Mel Torme. A superb trumpeter, he has led the Klezmatics and the Klezmer Brass Allstars, written numerous film scores and a folk opera.

Dobet Gnahore (April 21)

Originally from Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in West Africa but now living in France, Dobet Ganhore is one of the stars of the Afro-Beat movement. Multilingual (she can sing in seven different languages) and incredibly energetic, she delivers performances that are not to be missed. The songs are socially relevant, the music powerful and enchanting, the costumes gorgeous and the dance moves stunning. You’ll be raving about this woman for a long time.