wereldmuziek blogosfeer
de beste wereldmuziek posts uit de blogosfeer, ook te volgen met deze RSS/ATOM feed.
In Gent wordt op zaterdag 11 september de Wachtnacht georganiseerd, een evenement bedoeld om wereldleiders zich meer in te laten zetten voor de Millenniumdoelstellingen. Deze zijn bedacht om de armoede uit de wereld te helpen. De activiteiten spitsen zich met name toe op het Sint-Pietersplein. Hoogtepunt is om 21.00 uur het optreden van Youssou N?Dour en zijn band. Eerder op de avond zijn optredens van onder andere Stef Kamil Carlens, Johan Verminnen, Luc Devos & Sioen. Vanaf 24.00 uur gaat de Wachtnacht verder in de Voorruit waar Studio Brussel een programma zal verzorgen.
I've often said, Chico Mann is one of my favorite musical acts on the planet. The musical brainchild of Marcos Garcia combines afrobeat with latin freestyle and electronic musical styles with other latin musics to create something entirely danceable and inventive. Analog Drift, Chico's second full-length LP, is being released on Wax Poetics Records October 26th. I spoke with Chico Mann creator, writer, singer, etc., Marcos Garcia, about the new album, Chico's rise in popularity over the last year, and what's in store for Chico as they tour the globe and spread their afro-freestyle message:
(Check out my review of Analog Drift here)
Ilusión de Ti by afrobeatblog
Marc Gabriel Amigone: First of all congrats on the album being released on Waxpoetics.
Marcos Garcia: Yea, I'm glad I held out, you know? I've been getting to know the waxpo guys and we've become friends and it's alright.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: So in the last year and a half, things have really taken off for Chico Mann. You guys have toured all over the country, your music is reaching a wider and wider audience, how've you enjoyed the ride?
Marcos Garcia: It's been really good. It definitely has its moments. I'm a one-man manager, booking agent, road manager, band leader, all those things, so it gets stressful at times, but overall it's been really fun. Traveling with David and Caito, we're just havin fun on the road.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Yea, I saw you guys are going to Australia, that's gotta be pretty fun.
Marcos Garcia: Yea it's gonna be crazy. It's like five shows in five days and it takes two days to get there. It's gonna be a whirlwind down under. It's gonna be really fun because I don't think Australians have heard anything like Chico Mann before.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Word, and they're really open-minded down there, right so I'm sure they'll dig it.
Marcos Garcia: Yea, hopefully. I went there with Antibalas in the winter, well our winter, their summer, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. So I'm looking forward to receiving a similar energy and response from the audiences down there.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Word up. So in that regard, you've done a lot of touring in a lot of different parts of the country, you've been out west, you were down in Miami, Texas at SXSW. Have you noticed a difference in different people's reactions and receptions to your music?
Marcos Garcia: Yea, I think it's funny. The West Coast is so open and so down to get down, and then you get to a place like L.A. and people are so reserved compared to San Francisco, I always thought that was really odd. So that was interesting that people didn't want to let loose, and I'm not trying to single out L.A., but it was noticeable you know?
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Kind of like Williamsburg in a way?
Marcos Garcia: Well, you know Williamsburg has a reputation for being too cool for school, but I don't really think so.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: People act like that, but as soon as they're into it they let loose and get down.
Marcos Garcia: Yea, I've never really felt that in Brooklyn.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Well that's cool. I've heard you talk before about places like Miami and L.A. where there's a large Spanish speaking population you feel like your music can really connect with people. Did you feel that connection in places like Texas?
Marcos Garcia: Definitely in Texas, we played a couple times where it was like man, they're getting it. And Miami was like a totally natural fit. It's one of those things, in Miami there's so many Cubans, that I felt right at home.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: About a year ago, you changed the personnel in your live shows to a paired down ensemble with just the three of you guys without the female vocalists. How has that changed the dynamic of the band and do you think you'll ever go back to having vocalists on stage?
Marcos Garcia: Yea, I don't even think it's been a full year. In regards to how it's changed the dynamic, it's created a completely new dynamic. Having a smaller lineup has changed it a lot.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Yea, I feel like it's a different band altogether. You guys were way more of an ensemble before, not that you're not an ensemble now, but the logistics and the financials of it all have to be a lot easier to deal with.
Marcos Garcia: Well yea it is because we're smaller, but having three people as opposed to five or six makes our energy really focused and directed, and so the dynamic of the performance is really charged.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: More intense.
Marcos Garcia: Exactly, the punch is greater.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Word that's interesting. I actually haven't seen you guys with the paired down ensemble.
Marcos Garcia: Yea, well when you see it you'll notice immediately the difference. And I love having the backup singers and having Ticklah and stuff, that was fun but it ultimately wasn't sustainable. To be able to do things like travel and do what I need to do to move forward...
Marc Gabriel Amigone: So Waxpoetics has really contributed quite a bit to Chico's rise in popularity. How did it start and how has it evolved since then.
Marcos Garcia: Well, how did it start. Let me think, Amir came up to me at a Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings concert at the Beacon Theater and and was like yo give me a call, we want to talk to you. And then that was my first interaction with Waxpo.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: And when was that?
Marcos Garcia: Um, whenever Sharon Jones played the Beacon Theater, it was a while ago, but I didn't follow up with them for a while. It was actually Linh Truong who was actually gunning for Chico Mann over there, keeping the buzz happening in the office over there. I already knew Andre at the time, but I didn't really know Dennis, so you know, I had never met the folks over there other than Andre in passing. Over time things developed, it was months before we signed a record deal. There was kind of a courting period.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: And then they released the one track on the 45 with the Africa Issue.
Marcos Garcia: Right, and that was like a good faith gesture, like, yo. It was really nice actually. I gotta say. And I'm really happy that they're local, I can drop in on them, go out for a drink, it's nice. They're my friends, I count them among my friends for sure.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: A lot of people identify you as your credibility outside of Chico Mann as a guitarist for Antibalas, but what have you done in your musical career besides Antibalas and Chico for people who don't know?
Marcos Garcia: Well, I play with Ocote Soul Sounds too. I'm not sure what you mean, like what have I done in my life outside of music?
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Well, a lot of people for your marketing line say Marcos Garcia, guitarist from Antibalas, but have there been any other projects or bands you'd like to let people in on?
Marcos Garcia: Well, dude I've played with a lot of bands. One of my favorite bands I've played with is American Watercolor Movement, that was before Antibalas. That band broke up a couple years ago. It was one of my favorite things to do. It was like an art rock. Really cool stuff, but you know I've dedicated my life pretty much to doing Chico Mann full-time. Antibalas is kind of a part-time gig right now. We'll do Antibalas when it comes up but it's not like it used to be. There definitely was a time when Antibalas was full time and Chico Mann was part time. Ocote is also, when they go on the road, I'll be in on that.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Word, that's cool.
Marcos Garcia: I've actually been trying to create Chico as its own entity, and I don't really use Antibalas in any of my promotional materials. I also don't want to be perceived as riding on the coat-tails of Antibalas. I have my own thing, it's quite distinct. But people tend to want to reinforce that association which is fine. I love Antibalas, so that's cool but that's not ever something that I try to use to further myself.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Exactly which is why I asked the question, if people don't know you from Chico Mann than they know you from Antibalas, or Ocote but I know from knowing you as a person that you've done a lot of projects over the years, so it's limiting to put you in one sentence, Antibalas and then Chico Mann.
Marcos Garcia: Right, another thing is I've also assumed this identity as Chico, so that's fine to be known as that. It's kind of the role I play on TV. It's funny when we were in Australia with Antibalas and we played a show in Sydney, after the show and I was walking outside and some guy came up to me and said. 'holy shit Chico Mann, I didn't know you played in Antibalas!' And I thought that was really hilarious. I was like where are we right now and how does this guy know Chico Mann?
Marc Gabriel Amigone: That's hilarious. So would you describe Analog Drift being released on Wax Poetics as a milestone for your career?
Marcos Garcia: I guess so, yea. I haven't really thought of it that way. Regardless of the status of the album ie. where it's been released, I think of the album as the milestone. Finishing that album was a crystalizing moment in terms of the musical statement I'm trying to make. The things that I touch upon on that album are looking back and then looking forward and it's positing this idea of afro-freestyle, you know, electro-afrobeat, and it's kind of pointing towards this next album that I'm working on right now. It's something sonically totally different. Wait a minute, I guess I don't need to be talking about my next album right now while I'm promoting this one. (laughs)
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Haha, well, I was going to ask about that eventually.
Marcos Garcia: Regardless of the status of this release, I'm always thinking about the next one, or working on it, or developing the concept. Analog Drift points toward this next album.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Word, which leads me to my next question, which is Analog Drift is worlds apart from Manifest Tone Vol. 1 sonically, what do you think has allowed that evolution to occur?
Marcos Garcia: Well it's been a really natural progression and a really organic evolution of my production aesthetic and my musical practice governing this musical landscape along with people hearing it for the first time, I just maybe stumbled across it for the first time.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Right, there's no model off of which to build an afro-freestyle band.
Marcos Garcia: Well there are elements, I did an interview yesterday where I started getting into all the different fundamentals of how you build my sound. All the different styles that I work within. Then I thought better of it after he left, and thought, oh my god, I just gave away my trade secrets. I emailed him today, you can't use any of that. My friend was like, you told him everything? I mean, I'm friends with the guy who was interviewing me so it was really easy to tell him this is what I do, but that doesn't mean I want to share this with the world.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Right that's like giving away your secret formula.
Marcos Garcia: Yea, there's elements that are pretty fundamental. I feel like the guys in Antibalas, and the guys in the band, they understand it, but it's definitely not something I want to give away the blueprint of.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Well I think listening to it you can hear it. If you've heard Latin Freestyle, and you've heard afrobeat, and you've heard certain Cuban musics, you can figure it out on your own without getting the exact recipe down. It's kind of like tasting something.
Marcos Garcia: Exactly, but most people, I'm sure there's plenty of people who can hear that clearly but most people I don't think can.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Right, I'm sure you're introducing freestyle to a lot of people and afrobeat through Chico Mann which is not just those things but you're still introducing those ideas to some people.
Marcos Garcia: Right and a lot of people have that experience where it sounds so familiar to them, and its because all these elements are incorporated but most people can't, they'll be like this reminds me of, and they'll connect it to something in their past. In the interview yesterday, I was breaking down the nuts and bolts of everything, like afrobeat and how it intersects with freestyle, like I was getting all scientific with it, and I was like oh my god what am I doing?
Marc Gabriel Amigone: So when do you expect to release you next album, or would you prefer to stay focused on Analog Drift for now.
Marcos Garcia: Well it's hard to stay focused on Analog Drift because it was an independent release, and now it's going to have a life for the general public, which is what I wanted all along. That's why I held out, you know putting it on Itunes or doing anything major with it. I have no idea when the next album will be released or finished. As soon as I go on the road that will stop the production, and then when I get back it will take me a while to get back into it. So I don't know. I can tell you wholeheartedly that doing that creative work is one of my greatest joys. I love to discover aspects of this musical landscape that I've kind of encountered in my life. And I want to just keep discovering these landscapes and textures. It's the whole idea of what could've been and now is.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Yea that's gotta be a very gratifying feeling, that Analog Drift is being released on a record label and you're touring Australia with Chico Mann that's gotta be a good feeling.
Marcos Garcia: Yea with this kind of momentum anything's really possible.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Well do you have any specific goals or are you going to continue to make good music and let the rest take care of itself?
Marcos Garcia: I do feel to a certain extent that things will take care of themselves and yes, that I'm going along for the ride, but there's also a self-direction going on from the beginning. I've really envisioned what I want from my career and what I want from my life and I've been focused on building that over the years, building my musical catalog, building my studio. I eventually want to move into a new spot and build a dream studio. I'd like to start producing other artists. I'd like to get more production experience under my belt and as I get older and I have more miles on me. I feel like what I need to do in the future is start shaping the sound of other artists by doing production. Over the years I've met so many talented people that I would love to say this singer would sound great over a Chico track, and I've already started to do that a bit, and I think that's going to happen over time. That's kind of the natural evolution of things, you know, I can't be on the road forever.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: And that's the best way to transition.
Marcos Garcia: I love going on the road, and I don't anticipate not doing that anytime soon. but I would love to be able to pick and choose a little bit more when I go on the road so I can make more time for the studio, because I love being in the studio. I love doing shows and performing, but it's the travel that's so tiring. And being in the studio can be exhausting as well, but when you stumble across the right take or the right melody, whatever it is. It's a magical thing.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: Absolutely. Well I know you produced one track off of Planet Rump's EP which dropped the other day, as well as provided guidance along the way.
Marcos Garcia: Yea man, they're great. I'm glad you introduced us and put us together. They're so sweet, I love those guys. I just listened to the EP last night, it just puts a smile on my face. They're so great.
Marc Gabriel Amigone: I know they have such great potential, I wrote on my blog, download this EP now so when they blow up in five years you can say you knew them now.
Dat AB concerten organiseert van gerenommeerde binnen ?en buitenlandse artiesten, dat wist u al, maar wist u ook dat veel van deze artiesten hier na hun optreden met een opname onder de arm buitenlopen? Jawel, AB heeft al jaren een heuse state of the art studio geïntegreerd onder haar dak en daar wordt duchtig gebruik van gemaakt. Voor radio-opnames (u heeft vast en zeker al nummers op Studio Brussel, Radio 1 of FM Brussel gehoord), voor live-streams op de AB-site of op die van partners zoals De Standaard en Humo (zo volgde u dit jaar misschien wel de concerten van Faithless, The Black Box Revelation of Humo?s Rock Rally vanuit uw luie zetel) en dus ook voor opnames voor de artiesten zelf. Die opnames belanden vaak als officiële release in de winkel en daar zijn we best fier op. Vandaar deze nieuwe feature waarbij u een volledig overzicht krijgt van alles wat er is uitgekomen. Van Queens of the Stone Age tot Lamb, van Channel Zero tot Boudewijn De Groot en van Iggy Pop tot Daan,... Bekijk én beluister het volledige overzicht hier!
ABCD: de nieuwe feature op abconcerts.be! geschreven door Kevin Mc Mullan in: Varia
Afro Celt Sound System return with Capture, a career-spanning double CD, released by Real World on the 6th of September. Cherry-picked from the collective?s five acclaimed studio albums, the 25 tracks are divided into songs (Verse) and instrumentals (Chorus). The songs are beautifully re-mastered to lend the sound a new warmth and allow the dynamics to emerge as originally intended.
The album contains their collaborations with Sinead O?Connor, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Dorothee Munyaneza and more. It also includes tracks featured on soundtracks including Gangs Of New York and Hotel Rwanda.
When Afro Celt Sound System burst onto the music scene some 15 years ago their impact was so instant, so astounding, that it hit like a thunder crack. Here was a band unlike anything else, a band whose fusion of West African rhythms, Irish traditional music and cutting-edge dance grooves battered the senses and unleashed a wellspring of joy and liberation. Festival audiences did a double take then danced like dervishes. Albums flew off the shelves. There were awards and Grammy nominations.
Afro Celt Sound System were the perfect storm: a phenomenon whose confluence of elements swept you away on a journey of light and shade, delicacy and power. When they added diverse new touches ? Indian bhangra, Arabic influences, dub reggae, more ? they did so seamlessly, in ways that only enhanced their sound and emphasized their openness. A supergroup whose line-up expanded and evolved around four core members (Simon Emmerson, James McNally, Iarla O?Lionaird, Martin Russell), the Afro Celt?s pan-global sound redefined dance music and stumped music critics. They remain defiantly, enigmatically uncategorisable.
The track ?Persistence Of Memory (Rae and Christian Remix)? is available to stream on Soundcloud.
Following the release of Capture the band will be playing the Barbican, London on the 2nd of November.
Track listing
?Verse?
1 Lagan
2 Release (featuring Sinead O?Connor)
3 Seed
4 Persistence Of Memory (Rae and Christian Remix)
5 Eireann
6 When You?re Falling (featuring Peter Gabriel)
7 Mother (featuring Dorothee Munyaneza)
8 Further In Time
9 Go On Through (featuring Liam O?Flynn and Pina Kollars)
10 Rise Above It (featuring Mundy and Eileen Ivers)
11 Inion
12 Life Begin Again (featuring Robert Plant)
13 When I Still Needed You (featuring Dorothee Munyaneza)
?Chorus?
1 Mojave
2 Deep Channel
3 Colossus
4 Sure-As-Not
5 Urban Aire/Big Cat
6 Whirl-Y-Reel #1
7 Dark Moon (?Gangs Of New York? version)
8 Shadowman
9 Lovers Of Light
10 Cyberia (featuring Jesse Cook)
11 Chosen (music from ?Hotel? Rwanda?)
12 Whirl Y Reel #2 (featuring Davy Spillane)
Buy the album:
- In North America:
- In Europe:
Er is een link tussen Gotan Project en Caravan Palace (***). Ze hebben beide...
Gotan Project (**), dat op 15 augustus op het BSF-podium stond, maakt...
Babylon Circus (****) was op 22 augustus de afsluiter van deze editie van het...
De prijs voor de grootste ontgoocheling gaat naar Rachid Taha (**), die op 17...
(World Circuit)
Five years on from the overproduced, unfocused Lamp Fall, Cheikh Lô is back with an album that reconfirms his position as one of the finest, most soulful singers in west Africa. He may be based in Senegal, but his influences are not restricted to the mbalax of his mentor Youssou N'Dour. Songs range from the gentle Il N'Est Jamais Trop Tard to Ne Parti Pas, a lilting song in "very bad French" from the Ivory Coast, or Seyni, a salsa standard Lô heard when he was growing up in Burkina Faso. Like much of his work, it has the easygoing charm of Orchestra Baobab. But this is not an album of nostalgia. Lô has a confident, understated and emotional vocal style, and he's an impressive songwriter, as shown by the opening Conia, an attack on religious charlatans, or the Islamic praise song Dieuf Dieul. The backing is as pared-down, rhythmic and slinky as Lô's vocals, with emphasis on percussion and guitars, and there's fine saxophone work from Pee Wee Ellis, best known for his work with James Brown and Van Morrison.
Rating: 4/5
With album launch at Big Chill House on 28th August with M3NSA (named as one of BBC?s Top 50 Ghanaians!), it?s about time Ye Fre Mi Richy Pitch.
Contributed by: Tony Hillier
Afrobeat, the ebullient amalgam of juju, jazz, soul and socio-political commentary created by Fela Kuti back in the 1970s, has enjoyed something of a renaissance worldwide over the past decade. Bands led by Fela?s sons (Femi and Seun), his drummer and right-hand-man (Tony Allen), and New York acolytes (Antibalas) have led the revival. Lately an exciting Australian act has joined the charge, with the emergence in Melbourne over the past 18 months of the country?s first bona fide afrobeat ensemble.
No fewer than seven African countries are represented in The Public Opinion Afro Orchestra. Although there?s strangely no members from Nigeria, where the genre had its genesis, the collective has all the attributes of an authentic afrobeat outfit ? vibrant brass and percussion sections, gyrating female chorus, political commentary et al ? plus some modern add-ons.
Indeed, the band?s executive have even visited the music?s spiritual home, The Shrine in Lagos, and paid homage to afrobeat?s late high priest, Fela Kuti. ?We got to play with Femi Kuti and his band,? relates Zvi Belling, who co-founded the Afro Orchestra with turntablist and percussionist Ethan Hill (aka DJ Manchild) and trumpeter Tristan Ludowyk. ?The strange thing is that when Seun Kuti was over here last year, we were in Lagos immersing ourselves in the music. Tony Allen was playing at The Corner here in Melbourne the day I got back, so I went straight to the concert.?
Belling is justifiably proud of his band?s achievements and the fact that it gives a contemporary twist to afrobeat, blending it with hip-hop and dance elements. ?I think we?re the only ones who?ve taken that step,? says the South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana-reared bass player. ?The only reference to that we?ve found is that Femi Kuti featured some hip-hop artists on his Fight To Win album, but it wasn?t the overriding musical direction.? As well as adding a 21st century component to afrobeat, Belling suggests that having rappers avoids the trap of attempting imitation Fela Kuti vocals. ?Some of the revival bands try that and don?t really pull it off.?
The POAO has garnered a strong following in Melbourne over the past 12 months. They might not have been on the national radar prior to this year, but a couple of scintillating sets at WOMADelaide and the release of a dynamic debut album, Do Anything Go Anywhere, has certainly elevated their profile.
They were among the best-received bands at the Adelaide festival. Despite driving rain, the crowd stayed and raved during their opening performance. ?We were actually surprised that the Stage Manager didn?t shut us down ? the power cable for my bass amp was under water. It was insane,? says Belling. POAO?s lead guitarist, Simon Edwards, described it as his most memorable gig ever.
Staged in more congenial conditions, the band?s second set was equally enthusiastically received by an even larger crowd. ?We all walked off very happy on the Sunday night,? Belling concedes. By the bassist?s own admission the band raised the bar in Adelaide: ?We surprised ourselves actually ? it was definitely our coming-out ball. We?d been working on our album for the previous year. We made WOMAD our deadline to finish it and we just made it.?
Although he has ambitions to take the whole band overseas ? they already have an invite to play Felabration, the annual afrobeat shindig held at The Shrine in Lagos each October ? Belling concedes that the logistics of touring a band of their size will not be easy. He?s adamant there?ll be no compromise on numbers. ?Every gig we go for, we?re asked if we can do it in a smaller, cheaper version, and we?ve never backed down. The music doesn?t work if you haven?t got all the parts. There?s no mistake there was sixty people in Fela?s band. We?ve scaled it back as it is. If you were to take a couple of elements out now, it wouldn?t sound right.?
POAO received funding from the Victoria Rocks Program to make Do Anything Go Anywhere, an expansive debut album that captures the vibrancy of the band?s live performances. ?We?re self sufficient in terms of shows, but there was no way we could have done the big production on the album without assistance.?
The band is currently searching for a residency. ?We plan to start a club night in Melbourne to develop the sound a little bit and do a bit more playing. On those nights, we wanna do extended sets. That?s how it?s done in Lagos. The bands play for hours on end. The songs on the album are approximately 10 minutes long. When we play live, they go up to 15 minutes ? we haven?t quite hit 20 minutes yet. We?re ready to roll, but we can?t find a stage big enough and we can?t find the right room or the synergy with a venue owner to make it work yet. I think it?s gonna be massively successful when we get the right place.?
With mainstream media in Australia tending to focus on negative aspects of African emigrants in Melbourne, Belling reasons POAO is helping to redress the balance, a fact reflected by the album title. ?Do Anything Go Anywhere is about travelling through and across cultural boundaries and physical boundaries. The music talks a bit about the evils of colonial borders put down over Africa and all the trouble that?s come out of them,? says Belling, who toured South Africa with Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masakela?s band, in the presidential campaign leading to Nelson Mandela?s momentous election in 1994.
The tradition of socio-political commentary, established by Fela Kuti and carried on by his sons and followers, is something POAO takes seriously. ?To my mind, it?s not afrobeat if it doesn?t have that element,? says Belling, stressing, ?it?s message music and I think it loses all of its guts if it doesn?t have that component.? As he rightly points out: ?There?s certainly enough to complain about in the world at the moment.?
Although he and co-founder Tristan Ludowyk compose the tunes, Belling says the rappers and singers ?put their bit in? when it comes to writing the lyrics. The inner core handpicked band members. ?It was the three of us who had the idea to form the band ? we made the phone calls and put it together,? says Belling, who settled in Australia in 1996. ?I?d been playing in lots of African bands here and in Africa, so I knew personally all the Afro-Australian musical community. I was able to pick who I thought would be the right flavour for this and then outside of that, in the general music community. I put a wish-list together and no one turned us down. Initially, we were nervous about the size of the band, so we put a big team together so that when certain players weren?t available that there was always someone to stand in.? No one has turned a gig down so far! ?It?s been ?A team? all the way. We expected to have a rotating roster, but everyone?s prioritised this project.?
Among the more recent recruits has been Zve Belling?s sister, Fem, who relocated from London, where she had been playing lead roles in the West End. Many of the other African members arrived here as refugees.
Guitarist/vocalist David Marama, who has shared Tanzanian and Malawian heritage, came to Australia via Russia, while Ghanaian Kuukua Acquah, whose daughter Lydia is also a singer-dancer in POAO, originally came for WOMADelaide with a band called Afro Moses but jumped ship and stayed. ?David?s a monstrous musician ? back in the ?70s he won the prestigious African Grand Prix, which was a competition hosted in Paris every year for the best African guitarist. He comes from a royal line and he sings and plays guitar beautifully. We?ve also got a Senegalese percussionist, Lamine Sonko who was born to a family of griots. He?s a beautiful singer too and he plays talking drums.? Sonko also does a spectacular dance routine.
Another percussionist, Nui Moon, has Moroccan heritage, while one of the rappers, Aaron Stephanus (aka 1/6), is of Namibian descent. ?About the only African nationality we don?t have is Nigeria,? says Belling. ?We tried a couple of Nigerian guests, but it didn?t work out long term?.
The liaison with guest South African rapper Tumi Molekane has been more fruitful. ?He was a central part of the Jo?burg hip-hop scene, and fitted really well with our band,? the bass player enthuses. ?Tumi came out for World Expo and we managed to get him back for WOMAD and our CD launch. We are looking to do a bit of recording on some new tracks later.?
Several members of the brass section, trumpeters Declan Jones and Tristan Ludowyk and baritone saxophonist Andy Williamson, also play with the popular Latin band LABJACD, as does conga whiz Luis Poblete. Veteran sax player Nick Lester, trombonist Peter Slipper, keyboardist John McCall and drummer Jules Goyma have worked with the likes of Michael Franti, Max Merritt, Ross Wilson, Joe Camilleri and James Morrison. ?We resisted the temptation to bring in too many jazz elements,? declares Belling. ?We?ve tried to keep the music pure, I suppose. There?s great arranging potential in the band, but we?ve resisted doing whacky, crazy arrangements and really kept it within the style.?