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2020 /// 2021
Senegal / UK
West Africa, Senegal, Griot, Manding, Afro Beat, Blues, Jazz Funk, Fusion
Amadou Diagne is a musician who has the traditions of West Africa at his fingertips. Singer, songwriter, percussionist and guitar player Amadou comes from a Griot family line of Sabbar Drummers and praise singers from the area around Dakar, Senegal. His talent as a percussionist led to him being offered a place as a professional full time member of l'Orchestre National du Senegal with whom he played for many years, regularly performing with some of the top west African stars for concerts and television as well as being a busy session musician. Writing his own songs, Amadou has developed a unique and intricate guitar style to accompany himself which draws heavily on his skills as a percussionist and a love of improvisation.
Brazil
Exploratory Music, MPB, Acoustic, Jazz, World Music
"Badi Assad redefines solo (guitar) performance! Revelatory, a brilliant display of innovation, imagination, and skill... almost hypnotically compelling!" (Los Angeles Times)
"Assad is known internationally as an ace acoustic guitarist. She is also a singer - but saying amplifying "also a singer" is tantamount to saying "Charles Mingus also played piano" or "Sinatra was also known as an actor". Her voice is an instrument - incredibly flexible, capable of soaring a la Joni Mitchell and Flora Purim and getting sonorous & velvety like Cassandra Wilson and Tim Buckley." (Jazz Review)
"Musical magic." (Acoustic Guitar)
Portugal / Spain / UK
Fado
With a following to rival flamenco, the haunting melodies of Portuguese fado have always held listeners spellbound; Claudia Aurora is its powerful new voice. Claudia Aurora sings fado - traditional Portuguese folk-blues - like no one else.
"Spine-tingling" (NME)
"Drenched in emotion and drama" (BBC Radio 3)
"Rising star of Portuguese fado" (Songlines)
Finland
Passionate and playful fantasy tango folk from cool Finland
Johanna Juhola has been hailed as an undisciplined innovator in the tango genre, a world music icon and a major reformist in the field of accordion music - she has even been called a musical superhero! Johanna shakes up tango traditions wherever she goes. The newest concert ensemble presented by Johanna is a vividly visualised show titled Imaginary Friends. Besides this she performs with her two colourful fantasy tango ensembles, Johanna Juhola Reaktori and the Johanna Juhola Trio. Her highly original output and collaborative work with top names from the classical, jazz and even electronic music scene has sealed her reputation as a groundbreaking and genre-transcending visionary.
India / USA
World Music fusion, Indian classical music, traditional ghazals, Punjabi folk songs
Performing ghazals (love songs of India and Pakistan) and Punjabi folk songs, Kiran Ahluwalia is a modern exponent of one of the world's great vocal traditions. An Internationally acclaimed, multiple award winning vocalist and composer, she explores the language of the heart with beautiful artistry and smoldering intensity, redefining Indian song in a contemporary and global context.
"She has a voice destined to enchant more than one generation." (fRoots)
"Ahluwalia's voice is caressing and seductive and her arrangements are magnificent." (Songlines)
Portugal
Folk Electronica, Electro-Folk
Luis Peixoto started his career in the folk music. Like others of his generation, he grew up with the club culture and gave in the temptation to merge these two styles. Assimétrico is the new album presented in 2017, where the acoustic plucked instruments and powerful sampled traditional and electronic drums are together. He has been awarded with several international awards such as "Best Original Composition" and "Best Folk Album of the Year".
Mexico / Spain
World, Mexican, Fusion, Folk, Exquisito
Lüla Reyna is a Mexican singer and songwriter dedicated to the rescue and fusion of World Music. She has performed in Mexico, Spain, Germany, Canada, Cambodia and Vietnam. She has caused great interest with her album 'Madre Mestiza' thanks to her powerful voice that makes an emotional connection with the audience, and her unique way to fuse the Mexican music with different world rhythms.
"A Corrido dances with Dixie, a Sandunga seduces to Jazz, a Ranchera becomes Manifesto, and a Son Jalisciense radiates all folklore of years of tradition" (Mural, Mexico)
Argentina
Contemporary Jazz
Marco Sanguinetti has been considered by both local and international press as the creator of "a new jazz genre" (allaboutjazz). In 2014 he opened The Bad Plus' concert in Buenos Aires. That year he founded the No-Jazz Collective. His album "8" was nominated for the 2014 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2016 Sanguinetti was selected Best Musician, Best Album and Best Pianist of the Year in the annual survey of Argentine jazz journalists. In 2017, in the same poll, he was again voted Best Musician, Best Composer and Best Pianist.
"Ambitious, different, and impressive" (All About Jazz)
China
Contemporary and Classical Chinese Music
China's Red Chamber features four virtuosic performers that have collectively become an innovative powerhouse in the international music scene, with concert tours from Europe's top concert halls to Asia's premiere international festivals. Red Chamber takes its inspiration from the rare traditional Chinese "Plucked String" repertoire to present a captivatingly unique program embracing string band music spanning centuries, a host of world cultures, and a myriad of musical genres. Consummate performers, their superb virtuosity is exemplified in performances of ancient Chinese Court music from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), to contemporary Canadian compositions, and an intriguing range of other works including Balkan, Gypsy jazz, American Old-Timey and Bluegrass.
Greenland
Inuit Indie Rock and Folk
Nive Nielsen and her band the Deer Children play original hummable folk melodies with a streak of vocal jazz, or cowboy ballads with an elfin side. Nive is a Greenlandic artist who travels the world playing shows everywhere from Europe to Asia, and the Americas.
- Winner of IMA independent music awards (popular vote) in USA in category indie/folk 2012
- Nominated for Nordic Music Price (2015)
- Nive Nielsen is Greenland's culture ambassador
Greece / UK
Rebetiko, Greek Music
An eclectic fusion of international and Greek musicians with roots from traditional Greek folk to classical and jazz. The group is known for their own arrangements of music by Theodorakis, Hadjidakis and Xarhakos featuring a fusion of classical string instruments with Greek traditional ones. They are also very involved in the Rebetiko scene and have for the last five years set up the very popular "Rebet Asker, Greek Roots Series" at the Green Note, London, dedicated to the music of Rebetiko.
"Powerfully emotional, moving and involving" (Songlines)
Finland
Party-folk-metal, contemporary folk, headbanging folk
Ritva Nero plays groovy party-folk-metal without any guitars! The sound of the band consists of the melodies of soprano saxophone, Finnish bagpipes and nyckelharpa, joined with a rock bassist and a metal drummer. Contemporary folk tunes are cleverly combined with the heavy metal traditions of our time. This is music to dance to - headbangingfolk! Party hard!
USA
Klezmer, World Music
In the rich and colorful Yiddish language there are expressions that vividly convey virtually any emotion or action. One such phrase is farshafn a sakh freyd un fargenign, which means to give much joy and pleasure. Farshafn a sakh freyd un fargenign perfectly encapsulates the happiness that the Klezmatics have delivered to the passionate millions who have discovered their music since the band's formation more than 25 years ago. In that time, the Klezmatics have raised the bar for Eastern European Jewish music, made aesthetically, politically and musically interesting recordings, inspired future generations, created a large body of work that is enduring, and helped to change the face of contemporary Yiddish culture.
For more information, songs and videos on any of the above artists please visit our website: www.redorange.org.uk. And feel free to reply to this email with any questions... We are here to help!
