Flotsam Band
The United Nations of Song – Flotsam Sessions on this A World in London! Click: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-19th-february-2020/
One of London’s most inspirational groups were live on AWIL this week. The Flotsam Sessions grew out of the pan European workshop initiative called Ethno World which has connected young musicians for over three decades. Flotsam are tailor made for our capital of culture and diversity and run jam sessions on the first Wednesday of each month at Club Mokossa in Dalston, as well as gigs and workshops. Dynamic founders Moa and Maya follow the philosophy that everyone can sing and everyone can make music if the passion for it is there. They invite musical representatives from different parts of the globe to teach Flotsamers a song or two and by rote/ear. In our live session at AWIL we heard perfect yet widely contrasting renditions of songs from Chile, Bulgaria, Sweden, and England but there’s a wider repertoire waiting to be translated onto disc.
Flotsam are not just supremely melodic and connecting, they're also passionate advocates of music tuition in schools and fans of skill-sharing. Radical cellist & balalaika queen Maya McCourt comes from Irish/South African mixed heritage and praises the Manchester Music Service in her hometown for gifting her with an introduction to traditional music in the form of her early years in the Kalinka balalaika ensemble. Flotsam itself is a floating ship of cultural mix and in our studio we had guitarist Liam from Wales, Sami from France/Tunisia on percussion, clarinettist Ana-María from Colombia who grew up in Spain, Rodrigo from Chile playing cajón, and Moa from Sweden on guitar and mandolin. They ALL sing, and rather brilliantly! Catch the full Flotsam Sessions line up at Effra Social Club in Brixton on April 2nd and join their next workshop - because everyone CAN - at Club Makossa on March 4th!
Joji Hirota – Hiten Ryu II -Japan/UK
The London Lucumi Choir – La Virgin de Regla – UK/Cuba
Flotsam Sessions: Si te vas (Originally by the Chilean Band Congreso)
‘ ‘ Nazdrave ti (Bulgarian trad.)
‘ ‘ My Son John (English trad.)
‘ ‘ Vi ska dansa med Sara (Swedish trad.)
19/2/20 – AWIL 241. Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-19th-february-2020/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Tanbir Johal, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low. Also this week global music on SOAS Radio – listen here: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-325/ Next week Tony Haynes from The Grand Union Orchestra 6.30pm at Resonance FM.
Goin’ Global Gigs Guide: Feb 21 The Sages & Aga Ujma @ SOAS Concert Series Brunei Gallery, Feb 29 Kuch Kuch Bollywood Nights @ The Alice EC3A, Mar 1 Martin Alvarado @ Unity Hall, Mar 1 Tribute to Roza Eskenazi w Dunja Botic @ Green Note, Mar 2 Lokkhi Terra @ Jazz Café, Mar 2 Le Trio Joubran @ Union Chapel, Mar 5 Wolf of Baghdad @ JW3, Mar 6 KaSai Masai @ Dona N16, Mar 13 WOMED @ SOAS Concert Series.
#TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/ Online worldwide at #Mixcloud. Join us on Twitter & Instagram @aworldinlondon @djritu1 http://www.djritu.com
