The WOMEX showcases on Friday, October 23 continued the musical travels across the globe. The evening started with Ti’kaniki on stage left, a France-based group featuring members from mainland France and the French territory of Reunion Island (La Réunion) in the Pacific. The group played the lively rhythmic sounds of maloya, featuring lead vocals, chants and various forms of percussion, including the traditional kayamb flat rattle. The group released the EP ‘Maloya à l’Opéra’ in 2020.
Ti’kaniki lineup: Cindy Pooch on vocals & percussion; David Doris on vocals & percussion; Gael Champion on vocals & percussion; Hadrien Santos Da Silva on vocals & percussion; Jonathan Volson on vocals & percussion; Luc Moindranzé Karioudja on vocals & percussion; Margaux Delatour on vocals & percussion; and Océane Gado on vocals & percussion.
Cuban-Spanish singer and cellist Ana Carla Maza presented a delightful set of intimate songs, accompanying herself on plucked and bowed cello. She elegantly intertwined Cuban, classical and jazz elements. Recordings: Solo Acoustic Concert (2017), Alma (2018) and La Flor (2020).
The duo Almir Meskovic & Daniel Lazar performed a dazzling set of instrumental music rooted in Balkan, Russian, Gypsy and classical music.
Daniel Lazar is an outstanding Serbian violinist. Almir Meskovic is an accordion virtuoso from Bosnia Herzegovina. Both musicians met in Norway while studying music there and graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music. They released the album Roots in 2018.
Yorkston/Thorne/Khan delivered a superb concert that combined Indian music, Scottish folk, jazz and other influences. The trio includes Scottish guitarist and singer James Yorkston; English bassist Jon Thorne; and Indian sarangi master and vocalist Suhail Yusuf Khan. The trio has released three albums: Everything Sacred (2016), Neuk Wight Delhi All-Stars (2017) and Navarasa: Nine Emotions (2020)
The Australian Art Orchestra ensemble plays an exploratory and fascinating form of music, bringing together aboriginal music, sounds from Asia, jazz improvisation and contemporary classical. The group is led by composer and trumpeter Peter Knight. Their goal is to collaborate across cultures.
Australian Art Orchestra: Aviva Endean on clarinets; Daniel Wilfred on vocals & clapsticks; David Wilfred on didgeridoo; Peter Knight on trumpet & electronics; and Sunny Kim on vocals and electronics. Recent albums include Crossing Roper Bar, vol. 2: The Ghost Dances (2014) and Vesper (2020).
The powerful sounds of Yemen were represented by El Khat, an Israeli band led by Eyal El Wahab, the son of Yemeni Jews. El Wahab has been exploring and rediscovering his roots. The group artfully combines Yemeni traditional music, vintage keyboards, fierce rocking guitars and also guitar twang, jazz and funk.
El Khat includes Eyal El Wahab on seer, kearat (self-made instruments) and lead vocals; Gilad Halaween on electric guitar, manuela and backing vocals; Iby Iban Wakir on trumpets, mizmar (self-made), organ and vocals; and Ido Chitayat on self-made drums. The group released the album Saadia Jefferson in 2019.
Haitian artist Erol Josué introduced the music and spiritual aspects of vodoo, featuring Afro-Haitian chants, drumming, dancing and Erol’s lead vocals. His discography includes Regleman (2007).
Oratnitza’s concert started with spellbinding synthesizers that recalled the trippy sounds of early 1970s Pink Floyd, but the band quickly shifted to acoustic music deeply rooted in Bulgarian traditions. However, Oratnitza does not play Bulgarian in a traditional way. They use Australian didgeridoo, Peruvian cajón, fast acoustic rhythms, and electronic dance grooves. Additionally, Oranitza has a spectacular woodwind player that plays the wonderful kaval flute and is also characterized by the distinctive, ornamental Bulgarian vocals.
The lineup includes Asya Pincheva on vocals; Diyana Vassileva on vocals; Georgi Marinov on didgeridoos and gayda; Hristiyan Georgiev on kaval, vocals, melodica, and keyboards; Ivan Gospodinov on vocals; Stefan Cekov on drums, cajon and tupan. Recordings available include Oratnitza (2012), Folktron (2016) and Alter ethno (2018).
The final showcase presented the club sounds of Studio Bros. The duo features two Afro-Portuguese musicians who grew up in Lisbon. They combine traditional music from the African island nation of Sao Tome and irresistible electronic dance music rhythms. Lineup: Fábio ‘Famifox’ Miguel and Miguel ‘Nunex’ Batista.
[headline photo: Yorkston/Thorne/Khan]
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.