Xalam

Ben Aylon’s debut international album sees him elevate the traditional music and instruments of Senegal and Mali into a fresh contemporary setting. Seven years in the making, Xalam features the late, great Malian diva Khaira Arby and sabar drumming legend Doudou Ndiaye Rose.

With every passing year, pianist Omar Sosa continues to define what contemporary world music can be. Each effort is quite different than the previous one, while the bright colors, timbres, and elements of his Cuban-based music are elevated higher and higher. In his restlessness to find further truth and beauty, there's a calm serenity and unabashed confidence in his vision and personal musicianship.

With “Promise”, Omar Sosa continues his exploration of the African roots of traditional musics throughout the Diaspora, using jazz harmonies and the latest technology. His new Afreecanos Quartet features Cuban drummer Julio Barreto, Mozambican electric bassist Childo Tomas, and Senegalese vocalist Mola Sylla. The ensemble fuses the folkloric with the contemporary, the tribal with the urban - all with a Latin jazz heart. Downbeat recently commented that “Sosa stokes the African and Cuban fires: Each burns distinctly from the other while illuminating the place between them. This is where Sosa pitches his musical camp and works his magic.

A host of horns, trumpets, sax, electric guitar and traditional Senegalese drums all feature on Awale Jant Band’s new studio album – YEWOULEN –Senegalese soul recorded and mixed in the heart of south London’s Peckham Road Studios, SE15. Awale Jant Band have good reason to celebrate! The band’s last 2019 concert was an all-African celebration headed by "perhaps the greatest drummer ever" (Brian Eno), Nigerian percussion master Tony Allen and then straight into 2020, with YEWOULEN - their first signed album for international release on the ARC Music label.