2020 APAP: World Music Fire/MASA showcase

In mid January when many locals are dreaming of spending time in less temperate climates, North American music presenters gather in Manhattan for the annual APAP conference. The outcome of the meetings and showcases affect what music audiences will hear in the festivals in the coming months. An impressive array of musicians also travel to the city to showcase their music for the public and professionals alike. It is a long weekend of music that warms alert New Yorkers who haven’t fled the city. The 5th annual World Music Fire Showcase kicked off the weekend.

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Alex Boicel first began linking North American audiences with African and Caribbean artists in Montreal in the 1970’s.  World Music Fire, his annual party also served, this year, as a MASA preview showcase, Alex is a member of the selection committee of the biennial showcase in Abidjan and several of the artists performing will also be at MASA March 7th-14th. The synergy between musical presentations linked back to Africa. Alex tapped his Canadian connections as well bringing in Wesli, Mis Blandine, and Tome from north of the border, paired with locally based artists Paul Beaubrun, SUNDUB, and Garifuna punta rock pioneer Ideal Castillo.

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6 brisk sets, 5 full bands and one solo artist at SOBs began with the sweet sounds of classic Congolese Rhumba and driving Soukous from Mis Blandine. A torchbearer of the golden era of Congolese music, she has performed with the stars including L'Orchestre Afrisa International and m’Bilia Bell. Her band of New York based Congolese artists included Yonhi Sungu, guitar, Ngouma Lokito, bass, Nkumu Katalay drums and Emmanuel Etoummou on keys, they did two songs from her latest album, including Pièce Détachée the title track and her newly released video single (below), followed by a m’Bilia Bel cover and a soukous jam to conclude the set.

A blast from a rara horn announced Wesli, a Haitian artist based in Montreal. He sang Nago, an acapella voodoo hymm, before breaking into a soukous rhythm based number. A song featuring the Haitian rara rhythm followed. West Africa meets the Caribbean in his music. From the Artibonite region of Haiti, voodoo and rara are his musical roots, he went to Africa to play guitar with Alpha Blondi and Tiken Jah Fakoly in Cote d’Ivoire and learned to play Manding music with Sekou Bambino in Guinea. His unique experiences provide the elements that make his music what it is today. An engaging layering of rhythms, Reggae, soukous, afrobeat, rara, voodoo, rap music music, dynamic vocal interaction between himself, Anie Alert with chorus from the musicians. Wesli says it is 60/40 Haitian African mix . Wesli was accompanied by Anie Alert, vocals; Rachel Therrien trumpet, Jean Francois trumpet, David Mobio keyboards.

Ideal Castillo honed his musical talents with his grandfather in in Livingston Guatemala and later with the greatest artists of his generation in Belize including Pen Cayetano and Turtle Shell band and Andy Palacio. Ideal was the first punta rocker to bring the music to the states. Punta rock mixing Punta, the traditional Garifuna music of celebration with electric guitar and bass, it was a revelation, the music of a new generation.

The set revisited classic hits of the Garifuna International Band, and a cover of Andy Palacio’s Watina. Curently Castillo has recorded, “Garifuna Music To The World”, a new album 8 songs, he says sprinkles roots music w drums and flute and message lyrics, with parade and punta rock in a futuristic take on Garifuna culture. Release date and US appearances are being planned. His next shows will be in Los Angeles at the Garifunas Arrival cultural ceremony an outdoor festival at 48 Hoover street., april 12th and 13th.

SunDub’s stripped down Reggae rhythms and Joanna Teters sublime, soul saturated voice is an intoxicating infusion. Formed by locally based musicians who are familiar to audiences from their work in other bands but were drawn together from various backgrounds by a love of reggae. Joanna Teters (Mad Satta) - vocals, Larry McDonald, ( Lee “Scratch” Perry, Toots and the Maytals) - percussion, Josh T Carter (Hayley Jane and the Primates) - bass, Eric “The General” Toussaint (Judah Tribe) - keyboards, vocals; Finn Singer guitar, Ben Teters drums, vocals have been performing together for seven years to in New York City. They have honed a distinctive sound, aptly described by their name which can be heard on their “Burden of Love” release, nine original tunes that will make you smile.

Tome - a young woman Alex discovered at the Festival Mondial De Musiques Des Femmes in Montreal. She performed alone using tracks also playing the guitar. She won the audience over immediately with an engaging style, both strong and vulnerable, pouring out chapters from her life, the message: she may sing of broken relationships but is not a broken woman. Tome’s name means “I am enough” From Toronto, her heritage is French Canadian and Nigerian and the multilingual/multicultural upbringing form the recipes for her music, Afro Futurism. She has 4 singles out and is currently working on a five track project due in February before resuming touring in Europe.

We have had the pleasure of hearing Paul and his band Zing Experience, Morgan Zwerlien, tanbou and drum pad and Peter Barr, on drum kit a handful of times over the past few years and each concert stands out as unique. His music at its core level is Haitian roots music complicated rhythmically, building in intensity with call and response vocals engaging the audience. He had said growing up in Haiti he had listened to and became fascinated with Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Peter Frampton, and notably bluesman Robert Johnson. At SOBs he unleasshed a blistering set of blues rock that he had only hinted at in prior shows. Yves “Chico” Boyer bass lines.