Baka Beyond
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| Baka Beyond | |
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| Country | United Kingdom/Cameroon |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Genres | Celtic, World |
| Members | Su Hart (UK) Martin Cradick (UK) Paddy Le Mercier (France) Ayodele Scott (Sierra Leone) Seckou Keita (Senegal) Kibisingo Douglas (Congo) Denise Rowe (UK) Tim Robinson (UK) Nii Tagoe (Ghana) |
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[edit] Biography
Baka Beyond began in 1992, when musicians Su Hart and Martin Cradick travelled to south-east Cameroon to live with the Baka tribe in their natural rainforest environment. During their time there they recorded music with the Baka people and some was later released on their return to the UK on Baka Beyond's first album, Spirit of the Forest. In the early days of the band, Baka Beyond consisted of English musicians trying to re-create the sound recorded with the Baka people, but it eventually grew to include musicians from Senegal, Brittany, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Martin Cradick and other members of the band travel back to the rainforest to record music with the Baka people. They have recorded many albums containing a mix of music directly recorded from the rainforest, and music recorded by the band, which always shows a strong influence from Baka music.
Much of the profit from Baka Beyond's albums has been spent improving things in the rainforest, and a new music house - a large barn with recording equipment - had been built on the request of the tribe.
[edit] Sound
Baka Beyond's sound is a combination of music influenced by the Baka people, African rhythms and traditional Celtic tunes. Each musician has contributed their own style to the band. Generally, their songs contain strong rhythms, traditional Baka singing style and exotic instruments including marimba, djembe, ning nong, soga, kongoma, panlogo, tama, kalabash and kora (African Harp). They often perform with the Rinky Dink.
[edit] Other Projects
- Seckou Keita, Martin Cradick and Nii Tagoe recorded a CD in 2001 called Éte. [1]
- One Heart Global Music Exchange is a charity supporting many tribes in Africa through music and musical projects, run by the band and its supporters. [2]
- Folk Music and Dance Festival Ethiopia is a music festival held in Arba Minch, Ethiopia, run by Su Hart and Martin Cradick. [3]
[edit] 2006 Tour
In April 2006, Baka Beyond began a UK tour. For this tour, they invited seven Baka musicians, who had never before left the rainforest, to tour with them.[4] This event was covered by many national newspapers and TV stations.
[edit] Discography
- Spirit of the Forest (1993)
- Heart of the Forest (1993)
- The Meeting Pool (1995)
- Outback(1996)
- Journey Between (1998)
- Sogo (2000)
- East to West (2002)
- Rhythm Tree (2005)
