The Creole Choir Of Cuba - Santiman
[CD]

Description

Santiman is The Creole Choir's second album, and the follow up to Tande-la. Freedom songs that have been passed down through generations of Haitian emigrants in Cuba are brought to life with vibrant harmonies, lilting melodies and rich, deep Caribbean rhythms. A hefty dose of Cuban flair creates a rich, soulful sound that evokes their proud history of resistance and resilience. The poignant songs on the album - many handed down through their families and learned from their grandparents - vividly express a broad range of emotion in both Haitian Creole (a mix of French, English and West African languages) and Spanish. Stories about survival despite abject poverty and potent cries from the heart mingle with extremely humorous and celebratory songs about everyday life. Recorded at Real World Studios, Santiman was produced by composer/arranger John Metcalfe (Morrissey, Blur, John Cale, Peter Gabriel). The arrangements on several songs show an enrichment of the group's vocal harmonies through the addition of piano, flute and trumpet - which came about, quite by chance, as a group of musicians recording in another of Real World's studios were exploring the links between Cuba and West Africa as part of London's 2012 Cultural Olympiad celebrations. The parallels were clear, and the musicians naturally came together to experiment in an informal, relaxed atmosphere. From this session, flautist Dramane Dembele (from Burkina Faso) and trumpet player Paul Bilson (born in Ghana, now UK-based) feature on the album. The brilliant jazz pianist/composer, Tom Cawley, brings his distinct virtuosity to two tracks, "Simbi" and "Balada de Annaise".

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