Baka Beyond – East to West



The members of Baka Beyond were early pioneers in the world fusion scene with their now oft-imitated blend of African rhythms and songs accompanied by Celtic instrumentation. Five albums later, their unique and distinct but often imitated Afro-Celtic sound remains strong through subtle explorations and consistently energetic performances.

Baka Beyond’s approach mainly involves setting a foundation of guitar, bass and percussion grooves and then building on it with solo and group vocals (including Pygmy chants) interspersed with instrumental interludes. The beats hop, skip and jump along playfully and although the music is heavily layered it always suggests a quality of childlike innocence and simplicity that is joyful in its naïveté.

East to West, Baka Beyond’s latest work, accurately reflects the diverse makeup of its members: a fiddler from Breton who used to play in a popular medieval French folk-rock revival group (Malicorne); a British singer who sings in a hybrid Afro-Celtic style; a bassist from Cameroon; and percussionists from Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.

“An Gwirder” shows off a hypnotic chorus of balafons; while the djembe preludes the instrumental entrances with powerful fills. This leads into the driving melody of guitar and uillean or Irish bagpipes that forms the central theme of the track. Finally, both guitar and pipes alternate on dizzying and rollicking solos to round out the tune. The interplay of a jigging fiddle and a grooving bass lends “Ra-Li-O” some bluegrassy attitude. The closer, “Silver Whistle,” brings some terrific kora playing into the spotlight as a counterpoint to Su Hart’s uniquely enchanting vocal style.

The band’s leader and guitarist, Martin Cradick, was a founding member of the influential Australian folk group Outback in the 1980s. After the breakup of Outback, Cradick traveled to Africa where he wound up spending quite a long time hanging out with the Baka forest people of Cameroon, also known as the Central African Pygmies (for more info check out: www.baka.co.uk). His musical and cultural experiences with the Baka became the cornerstone of Baka Beyond.

While the addition of the uillean pipes ups the overall Celtic feel to the group, Baka Beyond’s sound and musical philosophy still rest strongly on the rhythmic magic that so inspired Cradick on his first visit to the Central African forests.



Ffynnon – Celtic Music from Wales



Some of the seven Celtic nations get a lot more love then others when it comes to international recognition. Ireland, Scotland, and to a certain extent Galicia all have a horde of musicians. The music of Brittany and Cape Breton (the unofficial “eighth” nation in Canada) is consistently performed Celtic musicians not necessarily from the region. While the Isle of Man and Cornwall both have yet to be represented, Ffynnon is one of a number of young Welsh groups to try and bring the music of Wales more into the limelight.

Ffynnon is a trio comprised of Lynne Denman on vocals, Stacey Blythe on piano and accordion and Dave Reid on a beautifully toned six-string bass. Blythe and Reid provide backing vocals on a number of tracks. Painstakingly crafted with a perfectionist minimalism, the instrumentation on the album manages to imply both past and present in their sound and style. Denman’s distinct vocals leave you hanging onto each note of her part jazzy, part medieval Celtic sensibilities, which ultimately define the sound of the band.

There is a conscious musical journey that takes place over the course of the album which you may well wish to follow from beginning to end. The opener, “Y Gwydd (The Loom),” is a simple drone underlying Denman’s rendition of an old poem which ponders life and death in the heart of the night. This same drone, along with sparse vocals and bass licks, continues for a number of short folk songs until the entrance of the piano in the stately “Ty Crwn (Roundhouse).” The medieval mystery of Wales returns in the half-singing and half-chanting of “Pais Dinogad (Dinogad’s Smock)” which is accompanied only by a dreamy piano melody trailing away in the distance.

The call to the “Little Cuckoo (Cwcw Fach)” is straight from the Middle Age mead-hall and the central energy of the album begins to shine through. The haunting “Beth Yw’r Haf I Mi? (What Is the Summer to Me?)” features the intricate instrumental imagination of London jazz bassist Reid in a piece that has quite a modern edge to it. This trend continues on “Dacw ‘Nghariad (There Is My Love)” with piano, bass and vocals fully interwoven in a passionate piece with a notably bluesy but Eastern feel.

There’s still a long way to go before the underappreciated music of the smaller Celtic nations gets the full attention of the international community. However, Ffynnon’s imaginative and beautiful treatment of mostly unknown Welsh pieces helps set the standard for high quality Celtic music outside of the mainstream.