London's F-IRE Collective present local music with a global reach.
Timeline deliver a song cycle of ancient Afro-Cuban spirituals from their latest CD Méta Méta. The band will be accompanied by a choir of 40 pupils of St Paul's Academy, based in Abbey Wood. Barak Schmool's modernistic arrangements are underpinned by complex rhythms of the sacred batá drums. Jonny Phillips' Oriole draws on musical, visual, folkloric and contemporary influences from North Brazil, West Africa, Southern Europe and beyond to create music that has a strong emotional impact. Finn Peters Finntet offers a blend of hip-hop/contemporary/ funk. Melodically the thematic material is often reminiscent of Western classical music right through to Eastern folk forms, such as Javanese gamelan. Rhythmically, the patterns derive from West-African music, through Afrocaribbean, Brazilian and Jazz.
