By j. poet | Published September 2022
Alune Wade’s first outing, Mbolo, was a fusion of Afrobeat, jazz and traditional West African sounds, a recipe he largely follows here. But this time, he includes highlife, rap, Cuban, North African and Middle Eastern sounds, creating an international mix that’s both familiar and distinctive. The music was recorded in Tunisia, Paris, New York, Turkey and Cuba, by an impressive list of players, then assembled in the studio with the help of producer Nic Hard.
“Nasty Sand” is a funky blues tune, punctuated by R&B flavored horn blasts and shredding guitar solos by Guimba Kouyate. “Café Oran” celebrates the fusion of styles that evolved in Tunisia and gave birth to raï. The horn lines suggest the ornamentation of flamenco, while Wade’s simple bass line is echoed by the band’s scatted vocals.
“Dalaka” rides a syncopated rhythm, anchored by an acoustic piano, with a hint of son Cubano in the melody line. The vocal chorus laments the tribulations of Africans forced to flee their homeland due to climate change and political instability. The title track blends African, Cuban and Arabic elements with Wade’s propulsive bass. Midway through, they slip into a ska-like rhythm to bring the track home.
Sultan: Saba’s Journey, Donso, Sultan, Nasty Sand, Uthiopic, Portrait de Maure, Djolof Blues, Dalaka, L’ombre de l’âme, Lullaby For Sultan, Célébration, Café Oran. (61:29)
Personnel: Alune Wade, bass; Christian Sands, piano; Cédric Duchemann, Farfisa organ, Rhodes pump keyboard, organ; Bobby Spark, keyboards, organ; Hugues Mayot, tenor, soprano and baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Carlos Sarduy, trumpet; Cyril Atef, drums; Mustapha Sahbi, oud, guembri; Adriano Tenoriodd, percussion; Cheikh Anta Ndiaye, sabar: Senegalese percussion; Leo Genovese, piano, keyboard; Draman Dembele, flute; Mounir Troudi, vocal; Malika Zarra, vocals; López-Nussa, piano; Paco Sery, Drums, triangle; Hein Benmiloud, flute, Zokra; Nasreddine Chebli, percussion; Guimba Kouyate, guitar; Thomas Henning, trombone; Mehdi Nassouri, Gnawa vocals; Aziz Sahmaoui, Gnawa vocals; Daniel Blake, soprano and tenor saxophone; Josh Deutsch, trumpet; Nora Mint Seymali, vocals; Adriano Tenorio, percussion; Lenny White, drums; Djam, rapper; Eric Mouquet, piano, keyboards; Ismaïl Lumanovski, clarinet; Laurent Bonet, alto saxophone; Daril Esso, drums; Faris Ishaq, flute; PPS the Writah, rap.
