// PORTRAITS

Mercedes Sosa // Argentina

With her warm, nostalgic voice, the great Argentinian vocalist sings of love, grace, life and the passage of time. Her unique musical adventure began in 1950, when she won a singing contest organised by the local radio. She was only 15 at the time, but her talent was already obvious. Since then she has graced world stages with songs plucked out of over twenty major albums. After a severe bout of illness Mercedes Sosa returned with a stripped-down acoustic album, “Corazon libre”, that proved her voice had lost none of its vitality and strength.

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou // Benin
Founded in 1969 in Cotonou, Benin the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo went on to become one of the best known groups in West Africa. They recorded over 500 songs, including the massive hits ‘Gbeti Madjro’ and ‘Mille Fois Merci’. Driven by the powerhouse kit-drummer Yehoussi Leopold, the band anchored their sound in the complex rhythms played at Vodoun ceremonies. Mixing this with James Brown-style funk, Fela-inspired Afrobeat, American pop, soukous and highlife, Poly-Rythmo were a sensation in the 1970s and toured across the region through the 1980s. Following the release of several compilations featuring their work by labels Soundway and Analog Africa founder Melome Clement and a core of original members regrouped in 2009 for a debut European tour.
23/09/2009

vodoun

Lila Downs // Mexico, United States
A diminutive vocalist with a startlingly powerful voice Lila Downs has merged her Mexican and North American roots into a potent concoction, seducing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Her first CD “Tree of Life” reflected the Mixtec Indian heritage. Her follow-up album “La Linea” lambasted US policies towards Mexican immigration. The 2002 release “Una Sangre” promoted the indigenous plurality of Mexico and bagged a Latin Grammy. In 2006, her fourth CD “La Cantina” returned to the “ranchera” music that bathed her childhood.
09/01/2009

Pernett // Colombia
Progressive folklore, that’s how Colombian innovator Humberto Pernett characterizes his sound. Born in Baranquilla in 1978, Pernett now lives in Bogota and is one of the leading lights of the new electropical generation.
26/11/2008

Bomba Estereo // Colombia
Bomba Estereo are Simon Mejia [programming, digital sampling] Liliana Saumet [vocals] , Diego Cadavid [percussion] and Kike Egurrola [drums] from Bogota. Part of the new wave of young artists playing cumbia-inspired electronica.
26/11/2008

Yma Sumac // Peru
The Peruvian singer Yma Sumac possesses a weighty asset: 4 octaves that confers her an exceptional voice. According to certain sources, she would be a descendant of the last Inca emperor: Atahualpa. She began her career within the Peruvian company of arts, and then she exiles herself in United States in 1940. Her outstanding style made her sign for Capitol Records and made her occur in musicals and movies. She died on November 1st, 2008 at the age of 86.
05/11/2008

Sara Tavares // Cape Verde, Portugal
Cape Verdian-Portuguese Sara Tavares was born in 1978 and suffered the trauma of separation from her parents at an early age. The singer/composer has lived most of her life in Portugal and represented the country in the Eurovision song contest at the ripe age of 16. Two years later she released her first album Sara Tavares & Shout. Mi Ma Bô followed in 1999, and Balancé came out in 2006. Within the year it went gold. Tavares’ meteoric career has established her as a major new voice in the folk/world sphere.
05/11/2008

Saban Bajramovic // Bosnia And Herzegovina
Saban Bajramovic was one of the most inventive and honoured Rom singers, composers and poets in the Balkans. Considered the “king of gypsy music” by his Serbian compatriots, he died on 8 June 2008 in his native town of Nis in Serbia at the age of 72.
18/06/2008

Zong // Reunion
This trio from the Reunion Island is a challenging hybrid of in-your-face punk, cutting-edge electro and deep dub. They are led by electro wizard Yann Costa and the sculptural singer Drean, and backed by the aggressive drumming of a man nicknamed Fever. Originally formed in 1996, they released Chromozong in 2001, and Paradis Thématik in 2004. Their 2007 album Fractures confirmed their reputation as one of the Indian Ocean’s most audacious and irreverant bands.
25/03/2008

Cachao Lopez // Cuba
Born on September 14th 1918, Israel “Cachao” Lopez is credited as having invented the Cuban mambo style with his brother Orestes (although this is disputed by those who say it was Arsenio Rodriguez). His Latin jam sessions called “descargas” were legendary and Cachao’s bass playing was considered as a pure marvel of Latin jazz music. He moved to the United States in the early Sixties and later spent a decade in relative anonymity before a film and some consummate albums in the Nineties brought him worldwide recognition. Recording right up to his death on March 22nd 2008, Cachao is considered one of the most important figures in Cuban music ever.
25/03/2008

David Murray // United States
Born on February 19th 1955 in Oakland, California, David Murray is a seasoned tenor sax and clarinet player. His prolific career has included diverse explorations of West Indian percussion music, free jazz experiments and a homage to the Grateful Dead. He has worked with the likes of Elvin Jones, Randy Weston, Olu Dara, Max Roach and McCoy Tyner. A Grammy Award winner in 1989, Murray has been involved in well over 200 albums – and keeps on going strong.
18/03/2008

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Rich Mix celebrates cultural diversity in the arts with a packed programme of music, film, theatre, dance and more.

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