OMAR KA
FULANI FOLK, DAKAR BEATS, AFRO REGGAE AND DESERT BLUES
Omar Ka & Fula Band plays the irresistible West-African groove, mbalax amongst other African rhythms, brought with a tough funkyness and a spicy jazzy flavour. Everywhere they play the crowd goes nuts. They can be booked as a powerfull 8-piece band, but Omar Ka also have collaborated with a variety of musicians as Lilian Viera, Izaline Callister, Mark Lotz, Anton Goudsmit, Leoni Jansen, Hans Dulfer, Michael Prins and DJ Tiësto, and with bands like Kasba, ABU and FaKruTu.
New album KAWRAL.
KAWRAL was recorded during the pandemic at Danilo Tavares Music Studio in Rotterdam. The album offers a fine mix of Fulani folk, Dakar beats, Afro reggae and desert blues.
Omar Ka
“Life is an experience, life is research. The only real university is the University of Live.”
Roots.
The Fulani are the most widespread of all West African peoples. Traditionally cattle herding nomads, Fulani communities have settled in Cameroon, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. Wherever they went, they developed distinctive cultural practices and musical styles. Omar Ka was born in 1973 in Senegal, though his family roots lie in Niger. His sensitive vocals and intricate guitar melodies tell instantly of his Nigerian ancestry, while mbalax, reggae and funk beats ground his music firmly in the bustling streets of Dakar.
Fula Band.
The Fula Band – a group of friends and brothers- came together in 1991 to create their unique brand of Fula music. After four years of intense production and busy touring schedules around West Africa, Omar Ka headed for Europe in 1996 to prepare the road to international success. It took another three years before the band embarked on their first European tour. Three years during which Omar collaborated with a variety of Dutch musicians and featured on various recordings. In 1997 Omar Ka released his first album, “H.O.W” together with Willem Cramer and Hanyo van Oosterom. Meanwhile, his band members continued their individual projects in Senegal.
Out of Africa.
In 1999, Omar Ka & Fula Band finally reunited to set out on a highly acclaimed tour, which took them to the stages of Belgium and the Netherlands. Their overwhelming success encouraged them to record their debut album Mbaaranaabe/Nomad (2000). The album got very positive reviews. Since then, Omar Ka & Fula Band have played on various international festivals.
The lyrics, all written by Omar Ka, are about the nomad life as Omar knows it from his childhood. The nature and the quality of the life of the Fulani people is the main theme of his poetical lyrics.
Soruuna.
Omar spent three years mostly in Europe meeting plenty of musicians and preparing his second album Soruuna, released in 2004. About Soruuna he tells:
“My people enjoy the wisdom of a life lived in balance with nature. With each change of season, they guide their flocks to new pastures, seeing new things and meeting new people along the way, trading exciting stories. At the end of a long day they gather around a fragrant fire to share music and conversation. This is a precious time, as they love to discuss the experiences of their lives just as any traveler does. Just as I do. This is the soruuna. It is a grounding point in everyone’s life journey – it’s the part we learn from and the part we feel compelled to share. The soruuna gives each of us understanding, strength and inspiration in life. I hope this album will become a soruuna for music lovers.”
Along with the steady members of the Fula Band, Omar invited more musicians to participate on the recording. Malick Pathé Sow plays the traditional instrument hoddu, Praful the flute. There are special African instruments to hear as shekere, udu, clay drum, calabas, sabar, percussion, tama, talking drums and of course the beautiful tunes of the kora. Sylvie Nahawa Sadio (Zap Mamma) visited the studio to add a wonderful chorus to some of the songs. Dennis Winter was in the studio to produce the album with all his love.
Liingu.
Mark Lotz is een in Duitsland geboren fluitist. In zijn muziek tracht Lotz bebop jazz en klassieke muziek met elkaar te combineren. De laatste jaren ontdekte hij nog een derde inspiratiebron toen hij zich verdiepte in uiteenlopende wereldmuziek. Zo speelt Lotz regelmatig concerten met de Indiase muzikant Raj Mohan en stond hij in 2000 op de planken met een Cubaanse bigband. In 2006 kreeg Lotz de kans om een groep op te zetten met bandleden uit alle muzikale windrichtingen. Het resultaat was A Fula’s Call. Lotz nodigde percussionist Afra Mussawisade uit Iran uit en de Frans-Duitse gitarist Raphael Vanoli om mee te spelen. Een hoofdrol is er voor de stem van de Senegalese Rotterdammer Omar Ka. Zijn geïnspireerde zanglijnen lijken direct van de de West-Afrikaanse savanne te komen. Fula’s Call koppelt akoestische instrumenten uit den vreemde aan een Westerse digitale productiemethode. Het resultaat laat zich met recht benoemen als ‘world fusion’. (PdK, Muziekweb.nl)