Last spring while wandering around with my camera, I stumbled across a crazy looking bunch of brass players with trumpets, saxophones, helicons and a clarinet or two entertaining passersby in Brighton. I stayed and listened for a while, enthralled by their energetic East European gypsy brass.

A couple of months later, while at a one day singing workshop with Polina Sheperd (also known as Polina Skovoroda), a penny dropped as Polina described the brass band she sometimes sang with… Fanfara… the crazy looking bunch I’d seen in Brighton.

Polina, who grow up in Tartarstan, is a vocal virtuoso and I enjoyed every minute of the day we spent learning Jewish and Russian songs. The workshop was fun as well as educational, as Polina gave us many insights into her culture and background with interesting anecdotes. Some of the songs she teaches were nearly lost under the communist’s restrictions but were since rediscovered. Polina told us how her father cried when as a girl she first sang one of these songs to him that he hadn’t heard since his childhood. It was a wonderful day and at the end of the workshop I couldn’t resist buying some albums including the one she had recently released with Fanfara, Civilisation. A wonderful album and Polina’s stunning vocals sit perfectly with Fanfara’s energy and a wonderful sense of fun!

As well as teaching and performing with Fanfara and a number of other bands Polina also runs three choirs: Brighton & Hove Russian Choir, Chutzpah Choirand East European choir at UCL. How does she find the time?

In my last post I shared with you my experience of the wonderful festival held every September in Calvi Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques de Calvi  hosted by the polyphonic singing group A Fileta. For those of you not familiar with this form of singing here’s a bit of background information (and a taster to whet your appetite).

Polyphonic literally means ‘many voices’ and applies to music where one person plays one melody or rhythm will others play different melodies or rhythms. For instance, in a West African drumming group each drummer (or section of drummers) plays different interlocking, often quite simple, rhythms to produce a far more complicated overall sound. In the case of traditional Corsican polyphony the instrument is the male voice (although there are a number of excellent female groups now too).

Polyphonic singing is found in many cultures from the pygmies of central Africa to the Western musical traditions of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. In Corsica, traditional polyphonic singing had almost died out. Its resurrection coincided with the rise of nationalism of the 1970s and it is now a very important part of modern Corsican culture.

A Filetta, formed in 1978, sing some of the most emotional and moving music I have ever heard. You can listen to A Filetta singing L’Invitu (written in the 1st century) set to some of my photographs of Corsica in the video above. Please note that the photographs are low resolution and are best viewed at the size they appear in this blog.

Every year Calvi’s citadel, which was built over 500 years ago, is the stunning setting for Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques de Calvi.

Although I’ve visited Corsica a number of times, this was the first time I’ve been lucky enough to be there for this festival and I really hope it won’t be the last. The sky was as blue as ever, the sea as crystal clear, the people as friendly and the beer as refreshing but the music…. the music was simply breathtaking!

The festival was hosted by the polyphonic group, A Filleta. Their album Intantu transports me back to Corsica and a wonderful week of live music, from the buskers with their guitars playing gypsy swing at the foot of the citadel to the diverse collection of artists performing throughout the festival.

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Most evenings there were two ticketed events but these were quite pricey and we only went to a couple. On the Saturday afternoon there was also a free concert which sounded interesting although I wasn’t familiar with the acts. I never imagined what a truly unforgettable day this would turn out to be!

On a hot sunny afternoon, on the last day of an already memorable holiday, we climbed the steps of the citadel to Place d’Armes and found a number of craft stalls but no sign of any music!

Following the flow of people from the square down a side alley we came to the 14th century Oratoire and settled into our seats awaiting over 3 hours of live music by artists from Italy,  Mali and Corsica. After a wonderful performance by the Italian singer, Francesca Breschi with her harmonium, accompanied by percussionist Ettore Bonafe, everyone got up and left!

While wondering where the next performance might be, we heard the not so distant sound of a violin and accordion. The duo were playing in the street outside and after a delightful but short performance, a flute led us through the ancient alleyways to a small square, where the Sidikiba Coulibaly Trio from Mali were waiting to entertain us. The crowds soon filled up all the rows of chairs and overflowed onto walls and steps overlooking the little stage. A magical concert followed which delighted the enthusiastic audience.

As the final notes dissipated into the ancient walls, nearby singing reached our ears. Down another alley and up some steps we found another violinist, Maria Zaharia, accompanying Manu Theron (vocals/tammorra) with a lively collection of Occitan songs. After about 20 minutes the duo led us up another street, down passed the cathedral, through the Place d’Armes and back to the Oratoire where they continued their performance. Maria’s fiddling and her infectious smile were a delight and Manu’s vocals were amazing. As they finished they welcomed on to the stage Daniele di Bonaventura with his bandoneon.

We were enjoying the music but didn’t want to miss another concert back at the square, Zi’ Riccardino with Riccardo Abate Esposito (accordion) and Maurillio Tallani et Imma Arguento (vocals and tammorra). Zi’ Riccardino is a delightful character that looks as if he just walked out of a story book from the Brothers Grimm. I only caught the end of his performance as they were singing, playing and dancing down the steps outside the cathedral. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious and it was a joy to watch.

What a wonderful concept! A magical afternoon as one musical delight led into another and took us on a musical tour around the citadel and the festival wasn’t over yet… another free concert that evening – PVC Napoli Quartet’s Neapolitan folk music inspired by magic and mythology. With a stunning backdrop of the mountains across the marina they played tarantellas as the sun went down. We danced and clapped along.

And still the day wasn’t over as we had tickets for the grand finale of the festival and as we waited to go in, a spontaneous and beautiful interlude of polyphonic singing started in the bar opposite the cathedral.

The first half of the concert was a real treat as many of the groups that had performed throughout the festival each did two or three numbers. The polyphonic Ensemble Imeri from Georgia were particularly outstanding.

And to finish… Le Trio Jourban, Palestinian oud trio. The three brothers, who are fourth generation luthiers, and their outstanding percussionist Yousef Hbeisch, interacted skillfully to produce an outstanding and exciting performance of subtle and rich improvisations from their new album AsFãr (journeys). They took my breath away especially when guest vocalist Dhafer Youssef joined them on stage, his haunting vocals perfectly complimenting their beautiful melodies.

The concert ended well after midnight but outside wine and food were being served and the singing continued into the early hours – a wonderful end to the most amazing day!

To see more photos visit Travel with Kat on Flickr

More Myspace links:

A Filetta
Le Trio Joubran
Francesca Breschi
Maria Zaharia
Manu Theron – Lo Còr de la Plana
Daniele di Bonaventura
Carlo Faiello from PVC Napoli Quartet

Wow! I just had the most amazing weekend in Valenza,  Italy – 2 days of workshops with the London Community Gospel Choir culminating in a concert on Sunday night. It was a real privilege to be a part of this wonderful weekend.

Friday evening was club night and we all headed off to Alessandria to party, the highlight of which was V9 Collective and Annette Bowen singing into the early hours.

The next morning we were all up early, despite the late night, eager to start the workshops. Bazil Meade and his team from LCGC, Waleed, Annette and Christina, were outstanding, teaching a choir formed just for the weekend. This comprised of our hosts, The Joy Singers Choir, and their guests from a number of other Italian gospel choirs plus a handful of overseas guests including myself and Gel from Nyodema’s World Community Choir from England.

Listen to Bazil Meade and LCGC singing one of Bazil’s compositions before teaching it to the workshop group….  ‘Where do I go?’

We learnt a number of inspiring songs, all in three parts as is the tradition with gospel music. Waleed conducted the men, Annette the altos and Christina the sopranos, all overseen by Bazil at the piano. It was wonderful to watch how the LCGC tutors lead and inspired the singers, with such energy and passion that, in no time at all, the singing was sounding amazing. It was fascinating to see how good conductors can lead a choir singing gospel in a free format, where it is not predetermined how many times each part should be repeated, by using visual and oral cues to signify which part of the song should be repeated next and how it should be sung. Each member of the choir had to pay keen attention to the conductor. They worked us hard but it was immensely enjoyable throughout.

Listen to the choir workshop group rehearsing…    “I Feel the Spirit”

Meanwhile other tutors from LCGC were working with another group new to singing gospel and I’m sure they were having as much fun as we were.

By Sunday evening we were ready for the concert held in a beautiful theatre in Valenza. I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as we clapped, swayed and sang our hearts out. What a joy! And once our section of the evening had finished we returned to our seats and watched LCGC do what they do best – sing the house down!

Stephanie, Annette, Waleed, Christina and Andrea from the London Community Gospel Choir, Gospel@Valenza 2011

Last month I felt I needed a bit of a boost so I asked some friends if they fancied going to the New Forest for a few days camping. I had seen a singing weekend advertised in the Baka Beyond newsletter and thought it was exactly what I needed…  but it went way above and beyond all our expectations.

The weekend would be spent learning the songs of the Baka pygmies from South East Cameroon and their neighbours, the Mbendjele pygmies from the Congo. In the darkness of the new moon a celebration would be held to sing the forest awake known as Malobe. This would be led by Jerome* and Ingrid Lewis, who has spent three years living with Mbendjele and had been initiated into the ceremony and given permission to hold it here in England.

Our hosts, Su and Martin of Baka Beyond, have been visiting the Baka for over 20 years where they were initiated into their music and asked to take it beyond the forest. Throughout the weekend, Jerome, Ingrid, Sue and Martin all shared fascinating insights into aspects of the lives of these two tribes, their traditions, music and struggles of every day life.

The singing, percussion and guitar workshops were all great fun and by Saturday night we were all eagerly awaiting the Malobe that night although a little uncertain what to expect.

After a shared meal, we spent the evening singing round the fire and then walked into the forest. We were led to a clearing where we laid down rugs and blankets, sat down and huddled close together in the dark. It was an important part of the ceremony that it should be completely dark and everyone should be touching their neighbours so we snuggled up even closer together slightly uncertain of who was who!

..and then we sang.

It’s hard to explain the magic of that night as the lead singers controlled the group, building the intensity and emotions – stopping – building up again. Only to stop and then build it up again.

…and then the forest awoke (but I’ll say no more on that, as we were asked not to).

On Sunday… more singing, then lunch, followed by a bit more singing. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, every one of us singing all the way home with memories of a very special weekend.

Links to Baka songs on you tube

Baka Women singing Yelli
Baka in the Forest – yelli, forest harp and water drums

*Jerome Lewis
Lecturer in Social Anthropology at UCL

I have recently returned from wonderful week in The Gambia with my fellow Nyodema trustee, Shelagh and our friend, Andrea. I have been to The Gambia a number of times but this visit was particulalry special and I wanted to share it with you. 

Andrea Encinas, originally from Trinidad, came to England as a nurse. She is now, an experienced vocal coach, the director of British Gospel Arts, books choirs for The South Bank Centre, sings with the London Community Gospel Choir (you may have seen her singing at the FA Cup Final at Wembley in May!) and is studying for an MBA in Arts Management.

Andrea at Jeddah Progress Nursery School

Well I’m pleased to say Andrea has fallen in love with The Gambia and I’m sure this will be the first of many visits.

We had a very hectic week. Singing (and dancing) at Jeddah Progress Nursery School, Brikama was definitely one of the highlights. Andrea taught everyone some traditional Afro-Caribbean songs and the school choir from Farrato sang a mixture of English and African songs for us. Andrea’s enthusiastic approach was contagious as children, teachers and parents joined in this cultural exchange.

The recently formed drama group performed a couple of delightful short plays including one about learning English the ‘Jolly Phonics’ way and another about malaria prevention. I can’t explain how it felt to see two little girls playing, Kathryn and Shelagh, handing out mosquito nets. These two days were an excellent way to strengthen the bond between Nyodema and the local community. There are two videos from this day on YouTube Singing and Dancing at Jeddah and the Malaria Prevention Play.

School play about using mosquito nets

Another Nyodema sponsored, teacher training course in ‘phonics’, took place over the next two days. This is a method of teaching English widely used throughout the UK and is proving to be a great success in The Gambia.During the week we also managed to fit in a radio interview on Unique FM, a singing workshop at a Gospel church in Bakau and a visit to Serrakunda market. Andrea also took part in a couple of informal yet inspirational performances with local musicians.

As Andrea had never been to the Gambia before we took a day out to explore the area, looking at different housing conditions etc. Andrea was shocked at the extent of the poverty in The Gambia (and since being back has already started raising money for Nyodema).

I mustn’t forget to mention the children’s clothes and toys that we distributed throughout the week, in particular, 14 cuddly toys donated by Elsie, the three year old daughter of another Gambia Experience staff member. After looking at some photographs of Gambian children, Elsie decided that she did not need all her toys. On Boxing Day last year she sorted out all the ones she didn’t play with anymore and asked her Mum to give them to children in Africa. This was entirely her idea. Well done, Elsie! Elsie was delighted to see the photos of her toys in Africa.

One of Elsie's teddies finds a new friend

Andrea and me

Our last night was spent dancing until the early hours to an excellent reggae/salsa band in a bar on the Senegambia strip. The following day Andrea and I said our goodbyes to the wonderful staff at our hotel (Sunset Beach in Kotu) who had made us feel so welcome and headed off to the airport.

Shelagh stayed on to organise the distribution of more mosquito nets and to meet the medical students from Florida who ran the first-aid teacher training course for us at Jeddah Progress Nursery School last year. This visit they ran a dental hygiene course for the teachers and supplied toothbrushes etc for the children.

Each time I visit The Gambia I learn so much, make numerous new friends and return home with many happy memories. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this wonderful week. I’m very lucky to be part of ‘Nyodema’.

For more photos please visit Nyodema Flickr