Spearheading the prolific and unique surge of Ethiopian popular music in the 1960s and 1970s, Ethiopian singer, arranger and pianist Girma Bèyènè is a legendary figure who enjoyed a scintillating early career with various formations and musicians. The political unrest in his native country forced the musician to emigrate to Washington D.C. in the late […]
fusion
Fatoumata Diawara & Roberto Fonseca: At Home
With his 2012 release Yo, Cuban jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca launched a new phase in his musical career. Including African instruments such as the talking drum, the n’goni and the kora alongside a Hammond organ, the musician initiated an interesting fusion of his trademark Afro-Cuban groove with African-based griot traditions and rhythms. One of the […]
The Harriet Earis Trio: From the Crooked Tree
Based in Wales, The Harriet Earis Trio is a rare Celtic Jazz Fusion band whose leading instrument is a Celtic Harp. Formed in the late 2000s, the sound of the trio hinges on the harp of English-born and Aberystwyth-based Harriet Earis. A classically trained musician on the concert pedal harp, Harriet Earis has been exploring […]
Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita: Clychau Dibon
The pairing of a European classical pedal harp with an African 21-string kora sounds very unusual at first sight, but the rare duo recording of Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita is a truly remarkable feat. The association of the two stringed instrument from two different continents is the brainchild of […]
Metá Metá: Metal Metal
From São Paulo in Brazil, Metá Metá is a jazz fusion band formed in 2007 around the core trio of Juçara Marçal (vocals), Kiko Dinucci (guitar & vocals) [both of whom collaborated on the 2008 album Padê] and Thiago França (saxophone & flute). Released in 2011, Metá Metá’s first self-titled album anchored the trio’s sound […]
Winston McAnuff & Fixi: A New Day
Since 2006, veteran Jamaican singer songwriter Winston McAnuff (b. 1957) and French musician and producer François-Xavier Bossard (aka Fixi) have established a rare yet splendid musical partnership which sees the duo fuse roots reggae music with accordion-based French-style “musette”. Initially released in September 2013 to great critical acclaim, A New Day was reissued in April 2014 […]
