Passage of Music
Ilka Schlockermann reviews the opening night at the Barbican with Angelique Kidjo and Mayra Andrade as part of the Passage of Music season.
Passage of Music is a season of Black music commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. This season of events traces the musical journey from Africa to the Caribbean and beyond, exploring how this music has shaped and enriched contemporary British culture.
Angelique Kidjo is definitely a fitting artist to kick off this season. The new album by the now New York-based Beninese superstar is called ‘Djin Djin’. Produced by legendary Tony Visconti, it is the album Kidjo felt destined to make. Dealing with issues of race and culture it follows the slave routes from Africa to Brazil and the Caribbean.
Angelique Kidjo’s concerts are always occasions. Kidjo is a charismatic and amazingly energetic entertainer and a true African icon. This being her only London date this year it’s not surprising that the Barbican is packed. Last time I had seen her was at the 2006 WOMAD festival where she was headlining on the main stage. Towards the end the stage was filled with happy, dancing audience members – one woman got so excited and ended up dancing in just her bra. Will the Barbican audience get as excited?
Kidjo literally runs on stage to join her 5-piece band. In her shiny pink suit and with her trademark short, bleached hair, she is on full power from the first note, this being the track ‘Papa’ from her new album, followed by the album’s title track ‘Djin Djin’. The show’s set list is a good mix of old and new material, including classics like ‘Malaika’ and Kidjo’s new version of the Rolling Stones song ‘Gimme Shelter’. Whilst her shows are about having a great time, Kidjo also very actively supports various organisations like UNICEF and has strong views on what’s happening in the world. In the introduction to her new song ‘Mama Golo Papa’ she urges people to “leave God out of the mess in this world … and the fighting.”
Whilst her new album features a long list of guest vocalists and musicians (Alicia Keys, Youssou N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Ziggy Marley, Amadou & Mariam, Carlos Santana and more), Kidjo is not surprisingly capable of performing all the songs just with her band. Her musicians are quite far at the back of the stage, no doubt to give more room for Kidjo to move and dance. During a costume change her band get the audience’s full attention, and what an amazing set of musicians!
Kidjo has a great rapport with the audience. Towards the beginning she jokes “I know, once you sit down it’s difficult to get up”. Later of course people do stand up and towards the end of the show Kidjo invites audience members on stage (and not just one or two) and proceeds to perform two of her most well-known tracks,‘Agola’ and ‘Tumba’. The party on stage is brilliant to watch and I am kicking myself … note to myself: next time I will get up on stage! When the show is finished and the house lights come on, there are happy faces wherever you look. My hands are hurting from the excessive clapping, not that I am complaining.
Deserving more than a passing mention is special guest Mayra Andrade who opened the show. When the only 22-year old singer gracefully walked on stage you could sense that you were about to witness something special. Whilst many may have been struck by her beauty at first, it was her beautiful voice and mesmerizing stage presence that kept the audience captivated throughout her set which consisted of songs from her wonderful new album ‘Navega’. Andrade is Cape Verdean, born in Cuba, having grown up in Senegal, Angola, Germany and Cape Verde and now living in Paris, whilst her band members (two guitarists, one bass player and one truly amazing percussionist) are all Brazilian.
Cape Verde may be her strongest influence but her music is also very modern and international. If you forget about the comfort of the Barbican for a second it’s easy to feel transported into a smoky Cuban bar. At one point, half the band leaves the stage and Andrade accompanies herself on the acoustic guitar for one song - one of those magical moments. In the split second of silence between the end of the song and before the applause kicks in you can hear an audience member saying ‘wow’ in total amazement. This is no doubt what the whole of the Barbican was thinking at that time. The press release she says she is “a genuine star in the making” – tonight she has gone one step further and proved that she IS a genuine star already.
This show (Kidjo and Andrade) is up there in my top 3 of African concerts this year - the other two being a double bill of Mafikizolo and Bongo Maffin at the Shepherds Bush Empire and Rachid Taha at the Barbican.
Passage of Music events are taking place throughout October and November 2007 in venues across London.