Neil Spencer 

Blick Bassy: Akö review – a short but beautifully realised gem

Cello and trombone complement the African singer’s dreamy voice on this delicate homage to Skip James
  
  

Blick Bassy, CDs
Blick Bassy: 'a taste for minor chords'. Photograph: David Balicki Photograph: David Balicki

Cello and trombone are not frequently found together in African music, especially in homage to an American blues legend, but Blick Bassy’s hunch they would complement his dreamy falsetto proves inspired. One influence on this suite of songs about home and separation is Mississippi bluesman Skip James, with whom Bassy shares an ethereal voice and a taste for minor chords. The accompaniments are minimal and delicate – picked guitar and banjo for simple pieces such as Kiki (where Bassy recalls Congo colossus Tabu Ley Rochereau), haunting cello for the forlorn Aké and a burst of brass for the up-tempo Wap Do Wap. A short but beautifully realised gem from an innovative Paris label.

 

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