Yewoulen
Truly uplifting, just like a new day's first rays of sun, trees and flowers in bloom or an unexpected window of opportunity. Even with the current lockdown situation, one thing is certain, spring is in the air and musically heralding this change of seasons is the new studio album by London's Awale Jant Band on ARC Music.
Led by Senegalese singer Biram Seck and composed, engineered and mixed by French band leader/guitarist Thibaut Remy, "Yewoulen" (which translates to 'Wake Up' in Wolof) "is a call for people to wake up from their usual ways, to wake up to what unites them, to look at how they can work together as opposed to their differences."
What better message to spread in these strange times?! As borders remain sealed and nations are back to being nations, the Awale Jant Band delivers this beautiful "cross-cultural collaboration." Featuring "electrifying rhythmic explorations" as well as "a host of horns, trumpets, sax, electric guitar and Senegalese drums," the album serves up a potent 9-track batch of versatile afro-fusion, spanning latin, funk and soul.
"Yewoulen" offers "a distinctive eastern take on afrobeat," as BBC Radio 3's Lopa Kothari puts it. Pair that with Biram Seck's innate storytelling abilities (his father was a gawlo [storyteller] and master xalam [West African guitar/banjo] player) and you've got a winning combination that will make for an instant favourite. At the very latest, when the vinyl version hits the shelves in May.
"I love music because it is a means of communicating ideas to broaden minds and build an integrated world... a world of peace," says Biram Seck. Not much more we can add to that, other than you can stream the album below.
Awale Jant Band are:
Biram Seck, vocals
Thibaut Remy, guitar, synths
Kevin Toublant, bass
Kaw Secka, sabar drums
John Martin, saxophone
Ben Brown, drums
Laurence Wilkins, trumpet
Medoune, sabar drums
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