Based on the worship of the Orishas, the Yoruba religion combines the beliefs and ritual practices of the Yoruba peopl, originally established in southwestern Nigeria, Benin and Togo. A belief system as well as a point of cultural heritage, it never fails to inspire artists who, in turn, use it as a conduit for expressing their beliefs, their roots and their ancestors. Spanning, jazz, hip hop, house and bossa nova, we take a look at some notable examples.
The Franco-Colombian group has finished its new album in the land of the ancestral currulao tradition on the Pacific coast, combining the electricity of rock music with the freedom of jazz.
This year the Ethio-psych-funk group deliver another batch of theatric songs, Budos Band V, that are equally appropriate for car chase sequences as they are for funeral sunsets. Qwest TV caught up with Brian Profilio to discuss, among many things, Budos’ origin story as well as their album-by-album progression as a unit.
Born in Belém but based in São Paulo, the singer-guitarist is releasing his fourth album, Avante Delírio. It marks an ode to positivity in a country that yearns to rediscover its smile.
For Fragments du Monde Flottant (Fragments of the Floating World), Devendra Banhart offers a compilation of twelve unreleased demos by the likes of Arthur Russell, Nils Frahm, Rodrigo Amaranth and Vashti Bunyan. With the support of the Swiss label Bongo Joe (Altin Gün, Begayer, Hypercult … ), Devendra Banhart undertakes a playful curator's role for an anthology that is as elevated and intimate as his folk beginnings. From Los Angeles, he answers Qwest TV’s questions.
Ziv Ravitz, the regular accompanist of Yaron Herman, Omer Avital, Avishai Cohen and Ben Monder has, for his first album as leader, confirmed that he approaches the battery like Paul Motian: as an harmonic instrument.
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On April 10, the No Format label will celebrate its 15th Anniversary with a party at EartH, London. Three of the label's artists – the Malian Oumou Sangaré, French artist Gerald Toto and Que Vola – will perform in an event that seeks to reflect on the label and its history.
Born as a result of Fidel Fourneyron's research trip to Cuba, the Que Vola project deploys an uncommon syncretism between Afro-Cuban music and free jazz.
At the first edition of the Arabofolies festival at the Arab World Institute in Paris, Qwest meets with the Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan for an open conversation about women, the power of language and music.
