PHOTOGRAPHY
The London Lucumi Choir, directed by musician Daniela Rosselson de Armas, has undergone some changes since the onset of the Pandemic. Over the past year with the easing of lockdown restrictions a smaller group of singers with a range of voices, affectionately known as Korito Lucumi, has been established to meet up regularly and online … Read more
I have been documenting behind the scenes with The London Lucumi Choir since I joined the choir in 2007. Like most choirs in the UK our activity has been severely affected by the the Coronavirus pandemic and we have had to adjust in order to keep going and sing. Initially this meant regular Zoom rehearsals … Read more
Over the weekend The London Lucumi Choir travelled to Nottingham to record tracks for our upcoming 4th album. We’ve recorded at the Paper Stone Studios before and had a positive experience. The acoustics suit our music which are sequences of Afro Cuban spiritual song and percussion and the engineer is calm and understands the production … Read more
Yesterday The London Lucumi Choir, of which I am a long-time member, went to Birmingham to sing at the Faiths in Tune finale at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Here are a few photos I took. On the way up on the train I sat next to Tamara, a relatively new member, and a … Read more
Amongst the first words I ever uttered was the Farsi phrase “das das”. It literally means “hand hand” and was accompanied by repeated simultaneous clapping movements – das das, das das – an endless source of entertainment and distraction when Bibi, my paternal grandmother who I lived with, played with me in this way. Later on … Read more
The first Tuesday of every month is firmly placed in my diary. This is because it means it’s time for London’s Afro Cuban Music Night. The organisers describe the event as a night of drum, song and dance from bata and Orisha music to rumba and as an informal gathering where musicians who know the traditions … Read more
Back in January I wrote a piece on London’s monthly Afro Cuban Music Night and I thought I would provide an update with some images focussing on a few of the veteran percussionists on this scene. I first met David Pattman, Hamish Orr and Patrick Cameron back in the 80s when the African and Latin music … Read more
Bombo Productions runs a monthly Afro Cuban Music Night in Dalston, usually on the first Monday or Tuesday of the month. Last week’s session was graced by the presence of the incredible Cuban-born singer Martha Gallaraga, known to many simply as Martica. I don’t normally take photos at these sessions as I tend to sing … Read more