In October 2013 Africa Express travelled to Mali to record at the Maison des Jeunes youth centre in Bamako. Among those taking part was contemporary conductor André de Ridder. Inspired by the talent of the local musicians, he set about creating the first ever African version of Terry Riley’s ‘In C’. The award-winning album ‘Africa Express Presents Terry Riley’s In C Mali’ was released to huge critical acclaim and led to a special debut performance in November 2014 in the Turbine Gallery at Tate Modern in London. After a second outing in Germany, in 2016, Africa Express performed the piece at Holland Festival and in the beautiful roman amphitheatre at Lyon as part of Les Nuits de Fourvieres. Africa Express’s live version of the piece features an ensemble of 19 musicians including vocals, guitars, bass, balafons, violin, peul flute, dj/samples, koras, talking drum, n’goni, delta harp, riti and kalimbas.
Photos
Listen
Featured Artists
Header photo by Loll Willems