PHOTOGRAPHY
The idea of fingers and gestures communicating energy in visual art is not a new one; in terms of painting a particular example come to mind – that of Michelangelo’s fresco The Creation of Adam, where the anthropomorphised representation of God appears to be injecting energy via a pointed finger into Adam’s more relaxed hand. … Read more
I’ve just returned from a bucket-list trip to the Gnaoua Music Festival which takes place yearly in Essaioura, a breezy coastal town in Morocco. I was first introduced to this genre of music, also known as Gnawa, over thirty years ago. An album called Night Spirit Masters: Gnawa Music of Marrakesh produced by the late … Read more
This year I was invited to a Purim party held in London’s Stables Market, organised by the Chabad Rabbi for Kentish Town and Camden, seen below and appropriately for Camden Town sporting a fuchsia-coloured punk mohawk wig. The Jewish Festival of Purim is a celebratory story of survival over annihilation. The Megillah records the story … Read more
I’ve updated my project entitled Behind the Scenes with The London Lucumi Choir. The London Lucumi Choir, directed by Daniela Rosselson, is now in its 13th year. The choir and was originally conceived and co-created by Daniela together with percussionist Dave Pattman and singer Martha Galarraga of the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba in late 2006. … 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
Last Wednesday evening I was privileged to see Fatoumata Diawara. It was the launch of the Paris-based Malian singer songwriter’s new album Fenfo (Montuno/Wagram label) at Rough Trade East In London’s Brick Lane. She was performing solo, just voice and guitar and some backing tracks to occasionally multiply the chorus. She finished the set with an emotional … Read more