The children of Mother Africa make her proud once again by spreading her spirit in what is a rather large diaspora, considering that she spent quite a bit of time alongside the cradle of humanity. And just at the moment when he needs a bit of flattery to get up and stop feeling sorry for himself, in Lokhi Terra steps with Cubangla, another addition to a pantheon that already includes Afro-Celt Sound System. A pantheon that has mixed the traditions of an older world with those of a comparatively new world, giving space to breathe and evolve to great effect.

If that sounds familiar to you, it can only be because this is but the latest chapter in a story that dates back at least a few billion years, giving you decent enough time to prep and boil here. The melting pot is bubbling over, a massive contributor to your score here ... Bangla roots reggae, Bengali folk, Sufi samba. Nice enough on your own, but throw them together and now we're really gas cooking, the first two guests at the table no less than Rada and Krishna (protagonists of 'Kala Re'). Can you really trust him, or is he a curtain for the god of love?

1 Kala Re 4:10

2 Como 8:59

3 Bhromor 4:31

4 Lal Mere 5:18

5 Badaam 5:10

6 Cubangla 5:59

7 Kon Kole Revisited 7:05

8 Bhandari Revisited 4:28 

One of the first full-length recordings of Hauka's ritual music. Songs of praise and sacred incantations to the spirits to inhabit the body. Call-and-response chants, the play of a monotone lute, and incessant percussion combine in a non-stop dizzying session.

The Hauka movement began nearly a century ago and has persisted outside of Nigerian society. Documented in Jean Rouch's 1955 film Les maîtres fous, the Hauka are a pantheon of spirits reflected in colonial and military figures. Central to the religion is the "Holley Hori" possession ceremony, a ritual driven by militaristic percussion music, in which spirits enter the body in powerful and violent manifestations.

Lingo Seini has played ritual music for almost 60 years, learning from her father. She is joined by her son Youssouf on the pumpkin and Issaka Moulla, playing her homemade kuntigi. The group regularly accompanies the Hauka priests at ceremonies. Recorded with a single microphone on the outskirts of Niamey.

1. Gomno Ankreyze 09:38

2. Captain Salma 07:43

3. Sadji Blau 02:39

4. Gomno 03:23

5. Medina 02:50

6. Sergent Kadri 01:35

7. Arne 04:00

8. Fadimata 05:02

9. Kaffrand Gardi 04:22

10. Adiza 00:54

11. Captain Marseille 00:55

A truly magical and stimulating cross-cultural collaboration, bringing together Afro-Latin, funk and soul elements with a Senegalese twist. The wonderful voice of Biram Seck and the compositions of Thibaut Remy make a combo not to be missed.

BAND OF JANT AWALE:

Biram Seck - vocalist

Thibaut Remy - guitar

Kevin Toublant - bass

Kaw Secka - sabar drums (traditional Senegalese drums)

John Martin - saxophone

Ben Brown - drums

Laurence Wilkins - trumpet

Medoune Ndiaye - sabar drums

1. SOPE 03:49

2. DOMI ADAMA 6:42

3. CUBALKAFRO 6:31

4. JULES 5:31

5. AMANDINE 4:35

6. JUST BE FREE 2:53

7. KASSAK 3:36

8. JEUNESSE 4:25

9. YEWOULEN 6:43 

The Tunisian composer, oud teacher and singer Dhafer Youssef is a wandering musician in constant migration from one country to another within Europe and North Africa, having lived and worked in Tunisia, France, Austria, Norway and Turkey in the last years. As a follow-up to the magnificent Abu Nawas Rhapsody (2010), Dhafer Youssef's new album Birds Requiem brings together Norwegian trumpeter Nils PetterMolvaer and guitarist E VindAarset but also introduces new musical partners, including British double bassist Phil Donkin, Turkish clarinetist Hüsnü Senlendirici and Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu.

Dhafer Youssef does not consider himself a jazz musician. Yet it is jazz musicians who provide you with the space and freedom you need to thrive, and it is in their company that you feel most at home. Even though he is constantly reaching into Middle Eastern spirituality and Sufi tradition for inspiration, Dhafer Youssef does not consider himself a religious person either. However, in Birds it suggests not only physical, but also a high spiritual altitude. In musical terms, birds Requiem is constantly trying to reach the divine. On a track like "Whirling birds ceremony", the dialogue interwoven in perfect harmony of the pitch between Dhafer Youssef's voice and Hüsnü Senlendirici's clarinet is impressive, while Kristjan Randalu's impressionist piano paints the most beautiful picture.

Hüsnü Senlendirici (clarinet),

Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet),

Aytaç Dogan (kanun),

Eivind Aarset (electric guitar, electronics, second ear),

Kristjan Randalu (piano),

Phil Donkin (double bass),

Chandler Sardjoe (drums).

01 – Birds canticum ‘Birds requiem’ suite

02 – Sweet blasphemy

03 – Blending souls & shades (to Shiraz)

04 – Ascetic mood

05 – Fugahirundinum ‘Birds requiem’ suite

06 – Khira ‘Indicium divinum’ (Elegy for my mother)

07 – 39th Gulay (to Istanbul)

08 – Archaic feathers ‘Birds requiem’ suite

09 – Sevdah (to Jon Hassel)

10 – Ascetic journey

11 – Whirling birds ceremony ‘Birds requiem’ suite