With music from Loxandra (Greece), Patrick Ruffino (Bénin / West Africa) and Choco y sus Cómplices (Cuba / Luxembourg).
In Transition – Loxandra.
The name of the band is a reference to the main character from the novel by Maaria Iordanidou from 1962. Just as Loxandra is praised for her cooking skills in the book, members of Loxandra Ensemble collect a variety of musical ingredients. A mixture of Greek folklore, modern Greek music and the traditions of the Turkish Greeks is supplemented on In Transition with influences from swing, jazz, Balkan Salsa and even reggae. In Transition opens with a ‘traditional’ from Asia Minor that used to be sung in the ‘kafe amans’ (cafés in the Ottoman Empire where people from all ethnic and religious backgrounds came together to have fun).
CD. In Transition – Loxandra. Label: Dalit Music (2018), Code: DM-CD001. Distribution: XANGO music. VIDEO
Agoo – Patrick Ruffino.
Patrick Ruffino, born in the 70s in Bénin, is bassist, singer-songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. His multicultural background with a Benin father, a Burkinese mother but also a Ghanaian grandmother gave him access to all styles of West African music. His curiosity and thirst for learning enabled him to discover jazz, funk, soul and Afro-Cuban music. After 20 years of career in Africa, Europe he comes with this album Agoo, a vintage funk-rock sound, reminiscent of high-life masters and early Afrobeat. Bénin is also the cradle of voodoo rhythms and worship and we find this tradition in the themes of his songs. They honor elders, certain codes of conduct, respect and self-development.
CD. Agoo – Patrick Ruffino. Label: MDC (2018) distribution: XANGO music. VIDEO
Buscando La Calma – Choco y sus Cómplices.
The Luxembourg Congas player, Eric Durrer, starts with Choco y Sus Cómplices on a new chapter in his musical career. For this project, Eric created an 18-piece band based on the line-up of traditional ‘charanga’ orchestras, supplemented by violin, cello, flute, vocalists, a horn section, percussionists and a drummer. On this album are 8 compositions by Eric Durrer, plus three other composers, including a timba-re-editing of the title Freedom! ’90 by George Michael on track 4.
CD. Buscando La Calma – Choco y sus Cómplices. Label: XANGO music. VIDEO
