Rafiki Jazz is a fantastic world fusion band from the UK that features musicians from various traditions and countries. Despite the term Jazz in the ensemble’s name, their sound is actually masterfully structured world music, with little improvisation.
The album Saraba Sufiyana (Mystic Utopia) was released in 2019 on Konimusic. It contains eight songs that combine musical influences from the Middle East, India, West Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
The musicians elegantly and seamlessly interweave musical instruments such as kora, flutes and lutes from the Middle East, western and Indian-style violin, Indian flute, guitars, vocals in various languages, and a wide range of global percussion. It is world fusion at its best.
The lineup on Saraba Sufiyana includes Sarah Yaseen on vocals, ektara, percussion; Avital Raz on vocals, tanpura, guitar; Mina Mikhail Salama on vocals, ud, ney and kawala flutes, udu; Kadialy Kouyate on vocals, kora; Cath Carr on guitar, soprano steelpan; Tony Koni on bass guitar; Johnny Ball on tabla, darbuka; Guery Tibirica on berimbau; and Vijay Venkat on violin, bansuri flute. Guests vocalists: Kaitlin Ross, Juan Gabriel Gutiérrez, and the Sheffield Folk Harmony Collective (Nancy Kerr, Sam Carter, Marilla Homes, Greg Russell).
The album Nduggu – Dust was released in early 2021, also on Konimusic. The lineup varied slightly. However, the ensemble is still superb, delivering another deeply satisfying collection of songs where several musical traditions from across the globe come together harmoniously.
Nduggu features a wonderful mix of rearranged traditional and original compositions. The influences this time come from the Tamil culture of India, Guinea, Pakistan, Nigerian and Ghanaian highlife, Coptic Arabic, Senegal, Kashmir, and Turkey.
The lineup on Nduggu Bouy includes Sarah Yaseen on vocals, conga and jembe; Catherine Ngozi Carr on vocals, guitar and steelpans; Kadialy Kouyate on vocals and kora; Mina Mikhail Salama on vocals, ud, saz, duduk, kawala, ney, glockenspiel and udu; Vijay Venkat on vocals, violin, viola and bansuri; Tony Koni on bass and clave; John Ball on tabla and santoor; and Guery Tibirica on berimbau, pandeiro and gumbe. Guests musicians: Millie Chapanda on hosho, dunun, and vocal call; K.O.G. on vocals, bongos, agogo, handclaps, jembe; Amir Ezzat on riqq, daf, darbuka; and Robin Downe on programming and handclaps.
Buy Saraba Sufiyana and Nduggu (Dust)
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.