Creole Choir of Cuba – London 2011

CREOLE CHOIR OF CUBA

ANNOUNCE 2011 TOUR OF THE UK

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Creole Choir de Cuba

Prepare to be blown away by The Creole Choir of Cuba – the passionate melodies, wild harmonies and richly textured arrangements of ten inspiring vocalists. This is something new from Cuba, the most original vocal sound to come out of the country in a long while. Desandann, the Choir’s Cuban name, literally means ‘descendents’ and with the songs on their album ‘Tande-La’ (which translates to ‘listen’) they tell the stories of their Haitian ancestors who were brought to Cuba to work in near slave conditions in the sugar and coffee plantations.

The Creole Choir of Cuba have just announced their first UK tour, 15 dates in January/ February 2011

As anybody who has witnessed the vibrant Choir can attest, this is an experience not to be missed. Their mesmerising sound, jubilant dancing and deep spirit first made them a hit in this country at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival. It was there that the producer of BBC 2′s ‘Later … with Jools Holland’ saw the Choir, a cornucopia of remarkable voices, and was so impressed he asked them to appear on the show. This happened in May 2010 when they performed the uplifting and emotional ‘Chen Nan Ren’ – a freedom song denouncing neo-colonialism and colonialism while conveying the celebratory and glorious feeling of resistance which harks back to the freedom songs of the 1960s circa Martin Luther King and the struggle for racial equality in the USA. Various interviews and sessions followed – including a BBC Radio 2 session with a genuinely impressed Mark Lamarr – and even Jo Wiley played a track on Radio 2. The Choir performed to invited media and guests at a memorable show at the magical Wiltons Music Hall in East London in May, and in November their sold-out 4-date residency at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, as part of the 2010 London Jazz Festival, thrilled audiences.In addition to Spanish and French, the Choir mainly sing in Creole, Cuba’s second language, spoken by almost a million people, a pragmatic fusion of African, French and other languages. It’s the language of a people twice exiled: first to Haiti from Africa through the iniquitous slave trade; then from Haiti to Cuba tricked into second slavery by their French masters after the Haitian Revolution of 1790. Other Haitians arrived in the 20th century fleeing political upheaval, poverty and oppression during the barbaric regime of Papa Doc Duvalier which held power from the 1950s to 70s, marked by reigns of terror and the brutality of his private militia, the Tonton Macoutes.

With irresistible melodies driven by richly textured harmonies, shifting Caribbean rhythms with a very original root bass sound, this is impassioned singing by a unique group celebrating roots, resistance and the irresistible rhythms of life. In the words of the glorious ‘Edem Chanté’ – Help Us Sing!

Press Release by Serious

“A powerful, invocatory sound that has a huge impact live. A blend of haunting, near-operatic Christian fervour and visceral African drive, bellowed out by big, charismatic voices and an equally spirited chorus.” The Daily Telegraph

Creole Choir de Cuba on YouTube

“This is, quite simply, stunning. Their music is dense, complex, committed, and exciting….obvious sense of passion, resistance, and celebration of the performers.” Rock ‘n’ Reel

“Free-flowing, uplifting, utterly distinctive. They sing with vibrant intensity of love and homesickness, heroes defying colonial monsters, and survival against the odds. Their rich, textured harmonies and brash percussion make them thrilling in live performance.” Mojo

“The music is a thrilling vocal mixture of gospel and voodoo, Spanish and Creole call-and-response over deep bass voices and massive drums.” Financial Times

“There are full throated solos and passionate choral responses in Creole, creating a rich, ringing sonority which is sometimes defiant, sometimes soothing, but always thrilling.” Evening Standard

‘Obvious passion… distinctive bass voices (five men, five women) do something similar at times, but they have as much in common with a gospel choir such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and also use some percussion… Co-producer John Simpson observes in their promotional video: “It’s all about the voices.”‘ BBC Review on the album Tande-La.

Creole Choir of Cuba‘s new album Tande-La is out now on Amazon.

Listen to a sample of the new album on our Amazon mp3 Player

“This is, quite simply, stunning. Their music is dense, complex, committed, and exciting….obvious sense of passion, resistance, and celebration of the performers.” Rock ‘n’ Reel

“Prepare then to be swept off your feet by this multitalented and inspirational group that break the mould of all that has gone before, and open up a whole new chapter in Cuban music.” The Morning Star

Thu 27 Jan – GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead

0191 443 4661, http://www.thesagegateshead.org