The title of the album says it all. Centuries ago, when the djinns, African bush spirits, gave the first ever kora to the griot Jali Mady 'Wuleng' (Jali Mady 'The Red') it had 22 strings. When Jali Mady died his fellow griots took one string away in his memory. But in it's southern Senegal and Guinea Bissau birthplace the 22-stringed kora survives, the extra string giving the instrument special advantages in terms of tonal reach and groove. For Seckou Keita, that one extra string represents home: the place where his heart resides. Seckou Keita has arguably become his generation's most influential and inspiring kora player, an exceptional and charismatic musician. A childhood prodigy, Seckou is uniquely descended from a line of Southern Senegalese griots and kings. His last two albums, Miro and The Silimbo Passage, hit No. 1 in the European world music charts, and Clychau Dibon, the fruit of his collaboration with Catrin Finch, won fRoots Critics Poll Album of The Year 2013, Songlines Magazine Best Cross Cultural Collaboration 2014, and two BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominations.

The Atse Tewodros Project, which bore this album, was initiated with the intent of forging collaboration between Ethiopian and Italian musicians.; Singer, writer, and performer Gabriella Ghermandi was born in Ethiopia, but grew up in Italy. Her music binds her cultural heritage together in new and exciting ways.; “…the jaunty music is jazzy, purely Ethiopian, and rich with great rhythms and melodies… It’s a must for anyone with an interest in innovative and traditional Ethiopian music…” (Matthew Forss, Inside World Music)

The inspiring group Afrika Mamas are three-time South African Music Awards nominees, and have toured all over the world. They sing in an a cappella or Mbube style, featuring rich textures, thick harmonies, reminiscent of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The twelve tracks featured on this disc are a fantastic representation of the works of this moving group.

From the beautiful and mysterious equatorial African nation of Angola, a country which has had such a mixed and varied history, comes an album of supremely colorful music written, produced and performed by the veteran Angolan musician Manuel Diogo.Capturing the infectious sounds of traditional and contemporary Angolan gospel music, it blends various popular styles such as semba, rebita, mainstream Angolan folk, and northern Angolan Kintweni rhythms.

'Daa Dee' is the first groove a baby learns in Ethiopia as it takes it's first steps. It is the sound the mother makes to help her baby in it's first attempt into independence. Minyeshu explores her own upbringing and the resulting positive changes in this uplifting album of strength, vulnerability, faith and doubts overcome. Daa Dee is Minyeshu's fourth album, a collection of dance songs exalting love, spiritualism, and what it means to be a woman- especially a mother and daughter- in today's times. Drawing from her cultural life experiences in Africa and Europe, Minyeshu has sculpted her signature tone- a hypnotic and modern hybrid of Ethiopian grooves and melodies, delicately mixed with Western instruments and styles. "Minyeshu manages to sound both accessible to a wider audience yet still authentically and proudly Ethiopian at the same time." (Songlines) "... brave and new musically stimulating and exciting experience." (NetRhythms UK)

Following the huge success of their award-winning debut release ‘Clychau Dibon’ back in 2013, Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita release their long-awaited second album SOAR. The album takes flight on the wings of the osprey, the magnificent bird of prey recently returned to Wales after centuries of absence, which makes its annual 3,000 mile migration from the coasts of West Africa to the estuaries of Wales, soaring like music and dreams over man-made borders, on its innate and epic journey of endurance. Drawing deep on their own diverse traditions and transforming them with remarkable synergy, audiences the world over have been captivated by Catrin and Seckou’s exhilarating live performances. Entrancing, mesmeric, intricate and ethereal, this is remarkable music. “A sublime duo of two artists who are masters of their instruments… musicality and architecture at work.” (Simon Broughton, London Evening Standard)

“Sosa and Keita deliver a work that variously ebbs, flows and sparkles.” (Jane Cornwell, Jazzwise)

SUBA is the second album from the collaboration between one of Cuba’s most prolific Jazz Artists, pianist Omar Sosa, and Senegalese kora master Seckou Keita. Omar and Seckou’s debut album Transparent Water has toured worldwide since 2017 to enormous critical acclaim. They are again accompanied on this tour and album by Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. Seven-time Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Omar Sosa has been passionately interested in exploring African musical cultures and their connections with his Afro-Cuban roots throughout his career, subtly blending traditional and contemporary sounds on many of his recordings. Seckou Keita has arguably become the most influential and inspiring Kora player of his generation, an exceptional and charismatic musician and a modern global citizen, with seven centuries of tradition and heritage expressed through his music.

Watch Sosa and Keita's Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music!

REVIEWS:

With a lighter, lyrical, improvisational approach, the two musicians create something artistically special and pull it off with aplomb. With its sympathetic sensitivity to human condition, SUBA’s mesmerizing music is a hymn to courage, strength and perseverance in a post-pandemic world. Each relaxing track, whether emphasizing piano, kora or vocals, presents itself a prayer for health, unity and sunnier skies ahead.

-- Roots Music Report

Musicians from the UK travel to The Gambia in this unique cultural exchange. Under the guidance of Gambian percussionist and vocalist Musa Mboob, musicians from both countries create an inspired, energetic, tribal, West African soul music. "... captivating sounds of West Africa in it's most innovative masterpiece of artistic creativity... " (ebonyonline. Net) Musa Mboob and XamXam aim to bring you the perfect blend of traditional West African music with a modern twist. Musa has made it his aim in life to continue the family tradition of playing percussion and promoting traditional music from The Gambia. In 2017 Musa returned to The Gambia with a new set of musicians and returned with this collection of new songs that capture the exciting Gambian vibe.

Insingizi's third international release, Siyabonga follows their two critically acclaimed CDs, Voices of Southern Africa Volume 1 & 2. This extraordinary trio from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe offers uplifting performances filled with harmonious a cappella singing, traditional chants, hand percussion, and superb choreography. Their songs possess a gentleness and honesty that is soul stirring, conveying a wide range of challenges facing people today. The group's success has caught the eye of renowned music critics worldwide; in March 2010, Insingizi - Dumisani Ramadu Moyo, Blessings Nqo Nkomo, Vusa Mkhaya Ndlovu - were rewarded with the "Prix France Musique du Monde 2010" (Radio France World Music Award) at the Babel Med World Music Forum in Marseille, France.

Maasai Footsteps is a project that reveals the evolution of the Maasai culture and shows the value of their traditions in the world today. To illustrate this development, Anuang’a brings modern choreography to the traditional performance of song and dance. Anuang’a describes it as “a show that travels to the ancient times and connects to the present, while revealing how much of the present-day culture is influenced by the past... This is a show that brings out the beauty of the Maasai culture and the unique rhythm of powerful voices and dance.” Anuang’a explains that the dancers are not professionals, and that he wanted to demonstrate the raw talent that exists in the local villages, those who sing and dance as part of their daily routine. The three clans involved are Purko from Maasai Mara, Loodokilani from Magadi and Kisonko from Amboseli. Each of the three clans bring their own combination of rhythm, voices and movements to traditional Maasai songs. While the groups perform a cappella, the contemporary dance that Anuang’a displays is a tribute to the Maasai community.“Tradition is what makes people who they are. If you lose it, you lose your identity.” – A.F.

Vusa Mkhaya embodies the sound of the eclectic, pulsing, dusty streets of Tshabalala township in Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo. He captures the romanticism of the Southern African climes, his voice rich with the vibrations of a heritage that spans decades. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for sound, he has worked with a wide range of musicians and productions, amassing a hugely impressive body of work. Vusa has pushed the boundaries of world music, retaining a mind-bending, soul-searching, spiritually stirring sound that is inspired by life’s questions. It is in that depth he feeds, and is himself fed by the beauty of music. As part of the vocal trio Insingizi he has gained commercial and critical success since their 2004 debut album, Voices of Southern Africa / Spirit of Africa, which sold over 250,000 units in North America. His solo offerings The Spirit of Ubuntu (2006), Vocalism (2012) and now Umanyanyatha are emotive musical stories of love, heartbreak and everyday living; tales delivered in soulful, sometimes haunting, achingly beautiful pieces. Mkhaya gives life to the voice, and it is the voice that gives him life.

Black Umfolosi are Zimbabwe's greatest musical ambassadors. Founded in March 1982 by a group of school friends, the group has developed into a global outfit over nearly forty years together. With unrivalled beauty and enthusiasm, they perform music inspired by the traditional song and dance of their native southern Africa. As such they are true custodians of their culture. The name of the group is taken from the Umfolozi Omnyama River in the Natal Province of South Africa, to where their ancestors can be traced. Just as the river is a permanent feature of this stunning landscape, so the music of Black Umfolosi shall flow from generation to generation as their permanent legacy. Specializing in the 'Imbube' style traditional to the Nguni speaking people of Southern Africa, the band's performances are energy driven and completely engaging, mixing a great gentleness of spirit and song with an exuberance in dance. The group has become firm favorites around the world with people of all ages and cultures, due to their natural ability to communicate through song. WASHABALAL' UMHLABA is the fifteenth Black Umfolosi album to be released internationally. The six voices come together in crystalline harmonies laced with their usual brand of optimism for the world. Here, Black Umfolosi sings of the joys of life, with gentle underlying messages for us to count our blessings, to appreciate and protect what we have.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Writer, poet and musician Gwyneth Glyn releases her new album Tro on the bendigedig label on September 29. Tro, which is Welsh for ‘turn,’ is the first major solo album from one of Wales’ most intriguing and talented artists, with a passion for language, who applies her delicate craft and exquisite gift to this compelling new album. Tro also geatures Senegal’s acclaimed kora player Seckou Keita and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Winner Rowan Rheingans. Elegant and deliciously emotional, dark and poignant, the songs are united by a consistent quality and beautiful, poetic lyrics rooted in Gwyneth’s language and culture. Tro is the first album to release on the new label bendigedig, an independent partnership between Theatr Mwldan and ARC Music Productions. “Her lyrics have a simplicity of language and imagery: there’s a poet here who is able to leave words and images hanging in the memory… She has a fine feel for the art of song writing as well as the wind, trees and landscape of Wales that inform her music and emotions.” (LCWL1) “…molasses-sweet tones…” (Buzz Magazine)

In celebration of their 30th anniversary Black Umfolosi present a collection of their most beautiful and inspiring traditional songs from their native southern Africa. They perform in the popular Imbube gospel style and regularly tour the world with a success rivaled only by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who popularized the style.

The tracks on this new release come from Zimbabwe and South Africa, and feature a variance of inspiring traditional songs and exciting new compositions.; This music is known worldwide for its rhythmic intricacies, driving energy, and unrivaled enthusiasm.; These pieces are sung some a capella, some with instrumental accompaniments, but all with beautiful close harmonies.

In the spirit of Paul Simon’s epic, this new release from ARC features a collection of African songs. A potpourri of music has been chosen, from a capella to instrumentals, these songs hail from all over the great continent, including tunes from Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, and more. The songs are sung in a variety of native African languages, showing the immense diversity that exists throughout the African countries.

Music is woven into the fabric of Africa and is as vast and varied as the continent's many regions, nations, and ethnic groups. From traditional songs to contemporary compositions by inspired artists, ARC Music presents in this compilation of artists from all over Africa. Featured artists include Afrika Mamas, an all-female musical group hailing from South Africa who perform a song written by the group’s leader, Insingizi a cappella trio who come from Zimbabwe, Gondwana Dawn children’s choir, Gabriella Ghermandi from Ethiopia and more. The compilation was curated by Julia Beyer, director of ARC Music, who is well-known for leading the label into new, successful world music initiatives.

Marrabenta is music from the beautiful country of Mozambique, situated on the African east coast. Mozambique was a Portuguese colony from 1505 to 1975, and its music reflects many cultures. It also reflects the struggle for independence, the ravages of a long war, and portrays the many faces of this beautiful country, from its spectacular coastline on the Indian Ocean, to its rugged and evocative mountains and countryside. The present release is a dazzling representation of Mozambique’s very own musical tradition. A dash of exotic fun, and the heady spirit of Mozambique’s nightlife. These are exciting songs with lyrics in Shangaan, Ronga, and Portuguese. Travel to the sunny southeast of the African continent for this enjoyable summer music.

Rhythms of West Africa, tapestries of authentic African voices, Senegalese / West African blues fusion, a cappella from Southern Africa, Namibian songs on guitar, serenades from Ethiopia and more... This African compilation is a stunning journey across the continent. The songs compiled on this release have been hand-selected from Arc’s vast catalog of African music albums. Musicians include Nii Okai Tagoe, Tinyela, Modou Toure and Ramon Goose, Musa Mboob and XamXam, and many more. Details on each song, the musicians, and the albums from whence these pieces were chosen are all included in the booklet.

Antonio Forcione, Seckou Keita and Adriano Adewale Itauna come from three different continents - Europe, South America and Africa. All virtuosos in their own right, they grew up in three different landscapes, speaking three different languages, and were formed by three different cultures and musical traditions. All these differences have converged in AKA Trio, and the product is 'JOY'. Italian guitarist-composer Antonio Forcione has been travelling the world for over two decades, releasing twenty albums and collaborating with many major artists along the way, including such names as Charlie Haden, Trilok Gurtu, Angélique Kidjo and the Bulgarian Voices, amongst many others. Seckou Keita from Senegal is one of the world’s foremost kora players, involved in many international projects including his ground-breaking duo with Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, Africa Express with Damon Albarn and his Transparent Water project with Cuban pianist Omar Sosa. Brazilian percussionist and composer Adriano Adewale has collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Joanna McGregor and Benjamin Taubkin and has composed music for orchestras and dance theatre.

Classical Music

Rooted in tradition this recording of Yoruba (Nigerian) percussion and chant features 'incredibly beautiful rhythms and drumming patterns, each track with it's own unique story and vibe. The aspect of spirituality and the supernatural is strongly evident throughout' (Blogger News Network). English translations of the poems are available.

Dumisani “Ramadu” Moyo started his career as a professional musician in 1990 in the City of Kings- Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. The city is in the South of Zimbabwe where the Ndebele language is spoken. The music in this city is very much like South African music because of the Zulu language which has similiarities with Ndebele such as the “clicks” which can be heard in Miriam Makeba’s songs for example. His name “Dumisani” means “to praise” and the family name “Moyo” means “heart.” “Ramadu” is his chosen artistic name which he prefers to use as a musician. Ramadu dropped out of school at fourteen and decided to make music his career. In 1990 he joined the a cappella group Insingizi Emnyama who specialized in iMbube and traditional dances like Indlamu and “Gumboot Dance.” Today Ramadu runs a music label and studio working with different musicians from within Zimbabwe and around the globe, in a variety of styles from pop to classical music, from blues to Afro-pop to traditional roots music from southern Africa. Ramadu recorded this, his first solo album, in the summer of 2001. It is a mixture of traditional and self-composed songs from his hometown, mostly in the Ndebele language combining traditional and modern sounds. His focus is to develop and popularize the traditional music of his culture throughout the world by staging live performances and recordings and producing music.

Throughout Africa, the drum is the most ancient and certainly the most widely played instrument in African history. Having a far deeper bearing on life than the Western concept of percussion, the drum and all its offshoots and variations is an integral part of the heritage of all African cultures. There is a huge variety of such instruments. The sacred big drums were the most valuable property of any tribe. Conquering kings would make such drums a priority to capture, as this would break the spirit of the conquered. In many creation stories, the drum plays a vital role. Gods and chiefs, wise men and those who can talk to the ancestors, all use the drum as a medium. These recordings are performed by master African drumming groups; the El Hadj Ensemble, Ipelegeng Group, African Works, Soweto Ensemble and Tirani Club. All tracks are performed in the differing styles of cultures and communities from all over Africa, in some cases with added instruments appropriate to those cultures, making for an exemplary percussive exploration of Africa.

In an intoxicating meeting of cultures, guitarist Ramon Goose and Senegalese singer-percussionist Modou Touré trace the ancestry of the blues – back before its birth to the dunes and deserts of western Africa. The West African Blues Project is a vibrant, exciting marriage of these two seemingly distinct but inescapably-linked musical traditions.

African Homeland: Voices and Rhythms from Zimbabwe

Kasumai: Senegal Urban Rhythms

Griot from Senegal