An East African Journey

by Omar Sosa

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1.	Tsario Tsara 04:07	buy track
2.	Thuon Mok Loga 05:51	buy track
3.	Elrababa 04:20	buy track
4.	Eretseretse 03:41	buy track
5.	Che Che 02:57	buy track
6.	Veloma E 03:13	buy track
7.	Kwa Nyogokuru Revisited 04:09	buy track
8.	Tizeta 05:45	buy track
9.	Sabo 03:26	buy track
10.	Meinfajria 03:57	buy track
11.	Shibinda 04:48	buy track
12.	Dadilahy 02:48	buy track
13.	Ravann Dan Jazz 06:42	buy track

about

An exquisite set of world music recordings featuring 7-time GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa collaborations with eight East African artists, fusing traditional sounds with jazz in a subtle, contemporary production. The folkloric music forming the basis of this project was recorded by Omar Sosa while on tour in East Africa, including material from Madagascar (Rajery), Kenya (Olith Ratego), Sudan, Ethiopia (Seleshe Damessae), Burundi (Steven Sogo), Zambia, and Mauritius (Menwar). Sosa’s previous world music recording ‘Transparent Water’ (2017) entered the Transglobal World Music Chart at #1 and remained there for two months, and was featured on NPR’s ‘First Listen’. Jazz elements on ‘An East African Journey’ include Omar Sosa on piano, Paris-based producer Steve Argüelles on drums and percussion, and multi-instrumentalist Christophe 'Disco' Minck on double bass, synths, and effects. These recordings will help expose some of the rich musical traditions of East Africa to new and wider audiences. Folkloric instruments featured on the recording include the Valiha, Lokanga, Marovany, Kalumbu, Krar, Umuduri, Nyatiti, and Ravanne.

credits

released March 5, 2021

Omar Sosa - Grand piano, percussion, kalimba
Rajery - Valiha (tracks 1, 8, 13), vocals (track 13)
Olith Ratego - Nyatiti, vocals (track 2)
Sileshi Demesse - Krar, vocals (tracks 3, 7)
Dafaalla El Haj Ali - Tambour (tracks 4, 9)
Monga - Valiha (tracks 5, 12), vocals (track 12)
Abel Ntalasha - Kalumbu, vocals (track 6)
Steven Sogo- Umuduri, vocals (track 10))
Menwar - Ravanne, vocals (track 11)
Steve Argüelles - Drums
Christophe Minck - Acoustic bass, mini-moog, electronics
Mola Sylla, Childo Tomas & Patrick Destandeau - Backing vocals (track 7)
All compositions produced and mixed by Omar Sosa and Steve Argüelles
© 2020 Sosafunke Music Publishing, BMI
Basic tracks recorded in Madagascar, Zambia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi, Kenya, and Mauritius by Patrick
Destandeau
Additional recording with Steve Argüelles, Christophe Minck, and Omar Sosa at Plushspace in Paris
Mastered by Klaus Scheuermann, 4ohm Music, Berlin
Graphic design by Emrah Yücel, I Mean It, Los Angeles
Executive Producer, Scott Price
Omar Sosa plays Yamaha pianos and ‘Demstick brushes, and uses Yamahiko piano pick-ups
www.omarsosa.com

license

about

Omar Sosa Oakland, California

Composer, pianist, and bandleader Omar Sosa’s musical trajectory traces the Diaspora from Africa to Cuba and Brazil; from Central America to Ecuador’s African-descent communities; from San Francisco and New York to his current home base in Barcelona. True to his Afro-Cuban origins, Sosa fashions a spirited vision of uncompromising artistic generosity that embraces humanity at large. ... more