Building on the release of a recent album, Kora Jazz Band and their brand new line-up delivered a fiery performance at the New Morning in Paris. I obviously would not have missed it for anything. Here’s my verdict. As soon as I entered the jam-packed venue, I could not help but sensing a general impression…
Victor Deme made a breakthrough in the international scene at 47 years of age – now he’s back with a second album, Deli. His debut was all the rage two years ago, so no need to change the formula. Patience is the greatest of virtues. An adage which Victor Deme must appreciate the full significance….
When Rissa Ag Wanaghli, former member of the Nigerian music act Takrist N’Akal, meets Plume, a prominent figure in French music, what outcome can be expected? The answer lies in Atri N’Assouf, “the Star of the Desert”, a young group that has just self-produced its debut album, Akal. Here’s a brief presentation of a band…
Representing the new generation of Touareg rock called ishumar, “music of the unemployed”, Tamikrest is the noble heir of legend Tinariwen. Far from the Malian Sahara, where the members are from, they’ve landed in the West for their first tour outside the African continent. They’ve recently released their first album, Adagh, and what comes out…
“Barbès is like an antechamber before arriving in the West. It’s a piece of Africa!” says Luis Saldahna of l’Orchestre National de Barbès (ONB). Indeed many African immigrants end up in this multicultural neighbourhood of Paris, where they can find local products and most of all, revitalise. But Barbès is also the meeting point of…