The World (PRI), Global Hits >>
Baka Beyond's latest CD is called East to West. The title is fitting. The band not only has members from Britain and France, but also from Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Taken together, their musical world is a space where African beats and Gaelic vocals mix almost seamlessly.
Baka Beyond got its start in 1991. That's when English guitarist Martin Cradick and his vocalist partner Su Hart travelled to Cameroon. For six weeks, they lived with the Baka tribe, the Baka are pygmies, and music plays a central role in their culture.
The tribespeople have an old saying "Everyone is to be listened to."
Cradick and Hart started making field recordings of Baka music. It was an effort not only to preserve traditional tunes, but also to refashion them with a contemporary feel. On one track, Awaya Baka, children from the Cameroonian village of Lupe join in.
Awaya Baka has an almost completely African feel to it, not surprising, considering it was written by a Baka guitar player known as Pelembie.
But Baka Beyond doesn't always let the Celtic groove play second fiddle. In fact, in this track, called Rakish Paddy, it's right out in front.
Cradick and Hart have also made it a point to give back to the Baka culture. Cradick recently returned from Cameroon, where he was helping the tribe build a music house, a place where the Baka can promote their music and culture on a local level.
The band also funnels a portion of its earnings into a charity called the Global Music Exchange, which in turn assists the local Baka communities. Baka Beyond's new CD is due to hit US record stores next month.
For the World, this is Clark Boyd. 01/09/03 >> go there
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