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• 
  Brownout : Oozy
  
  Latin-Funk group Brownout get down with some seriously laid-back swagger.
• 
  Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars: Radio Salone
  
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• 
  Funk Ark : High Noon
  
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• 
  , Amadou et Mariam: Folila
  
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• 
  Sauti Sol: Sol Filosofia
  
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  KG Omulo: Ayah Ye!: Moving Train
  
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• 
  Various Artists: Chief Boima Presents: Lone Stars - Hipco and Gbema
  
  
• 
  Various Artists: The Kankobela of the Batonga, Vol. 2
  
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• 
  Kiran Ahluwalia: Aam Zameen: Common Ground
  
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• 
  M.anifest: Immigrant Chronicles: Coming to America
  
  
• 
  Sona Jobarteh: FASIYA
  
  West African female kora virtuoso releases an album full of grace, warmth, and passion.
• 
  Sia Tolno: My Life
  
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All Reviews >>

Imagine, if you will, five musicians. They are each uniquely gifted, yet able to share the same spotlight. Imagine that these musicians were not bought up playing in the same musical styles, yet somehow they find a common meeting place in their music. This is the Seckou Keita Quintet. “The Silimbo Passage” is remarkable musical collaboration between a group of West African musicians firmly rooted in the traditions of their people, a North African violinist (Samy Bishai) inspired by Arabic pop and Classical music, and an Italian modern jazz bassist (Davide Mantovani.)

From the outset of this recording, on “Bimo” a song about betrayal, the listener can appreciate the power of this collaboration. On this track, Seckou Keita and Binta Suso collaborate in singing, the high female voice fitting well with the deeper male one. Keita plays the kora (a 21-stringed instrument) with stunning technique and versatility. Alongside the kora are two stringed instruments, the upright bass and the violin. The bassist approaches this music from a modern jazz perspective (imagine the mellow jazz of the bassist Scott LaFaro as he accompanied Bill Evans). The violinist is classical in feel and precise in execution as he punctuates the music. The union between these different sounds is unexpected, a surprise even, yet it works.

On “Mande-Arab” the second track on the CD, the connection between these different musical genres comes even more to the fore. The violinist takes a stronger stance in playing distinctive Arabic scales while Keita firmly plucks the kora. Suso’s singing soars as the percussionist, Surahata Susso, propels the group forward with insistent and bold rhythms. Later into the track, the whole Quintet sings together in unison, making this a powerful music. The different musical strands now flow together in seamless beauty.

All of the musicians bring energy and liveliness to this recording. But, it is Binta Suso, a griot from Gambia whose voice stands out. Her singing shines especially on the track “Miniyamba” a song about a spiritual snake that “helped a pregnant woman give birth in a forest.” Suso, a more recent addition to the group, enhances the performance with her strong and effortless singing.

This CD will leave you spellbound. You will be transported to the heart of Mande Senegal (the southern Cassamance region) with masterful kora playing from Seckou Keita. You will hear skilled percussion and the mesmerizing voice of a griot singer. Simultaneously, you will hear a subtle jazz bass and the classical, sometimes Arabic inflections of a violin. These different sounds may not work well in your mind if you think about them, so you will be surprised when they do come together as one. You will come away from this recording moved by the union of remarkably distinct sounds.

Contributed by Dorothy Johnson-Laird for www.afropop.org