Wednesday 20 February 2019

Amira Kheir - Defining the African narrative


Amira Kheir
Nadir Ramzy
Tal Janes
Mikele Montolli
Leandro Mancini 

13th February 2019
A World in London, Resonance FM, London, UK
Leandro Mancini 
Defining the African narrative, gifted singer songwriter Amira Kheir on this A World in London! Click to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-13th-february-2019/

This weekend there’s a chance to see Amira Kheir at the Ahbab Festival in Cambridge, and after meeting her on AWIL, we know she’s going to be magnificent! One broadcaster has dubbed her the‘Diva of the Sudanese Desert’ which seems like a lazy definition when describing such a serious & skilled singer who is anything but a diva. Amira is soulful and heritage conscious, asking searching questions about life and identity through her music, plus her voice is exceptional no matter which genre someone tries to pigeon hole it into. She sings with grace as well as authority, and her vocals ebb & flow like a river, especially when accompanied by droplets of notes played by Nadir Ramzy on oud. Nadir is the only other Sudanese member of Amira’s close-knit band yet everyone is joyfully unanimous in the music-making and Arabic choruses. Regardless of whether we all understand all the lyrics, mystic powers combine with answers & truths to create a binding journey that transcends language & borders. With Tal Janes on guitar, Mikele Montolli on bass, and Leandro Mancini on drums, a beautiful energy of love and mutual respect was apparent in the studio. The band sailed through pentatonic scales and East African polyrhythms, embracing Amira’s elaborate phrasing and ornamentation that goes with traditional Sudanese vocal style, whilst also infusing a generous amount of Jazz, Blues, and Soul into Nubian melodies & ancient forms. 

Mikele Montolli
Amira grew up in Turin and also spent much time in Khartoum where she always ‘eating up music’, but it was her move to London in 2003 that liberated her identity as a professional musician. Amira has released three acclaimed albums showcasing her unique sound & the opportunity to fully `tap into the power of the beautiful gift of heritage'. You can too by hearing her excellent latest CD ‘Mystic Dance’ and listening to this World Radio Day edition of A World in London! http://amirakheir.com/


Tal Janes
13/2/19 – AWIL 197  Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-13th-february-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, and artist Alban Low. Also this week Japanese music legend Joji Hirota at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-288-joji-hirota/ Next week Aga Ujma at SOAS Radio and SOAS Klezmer Band at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #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  http://www.djritu.com

Nadir Ramzy


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