Music from the French island of La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, with the participation of Nathalie Natiembé | Luc Donat | Alain Péters | René Lacaille | Danyèl Waro | Christine Salem, produced by Cobie Ivens.
Nathalie Natiembé.
Karma is an album that formalizes the meeting between Reunion singer Nathalie Natiembé and the equally talented and unpredictable duo Bumcello. There is an exciting, even spooky atmosphere throughout this album. The first track starts at the opening of the album with the only sound of the cello, slowly, for almost two minutes, before the singing is heard. You have to know how to take your time to access the demanding world of experimental ‘Maloya’ (one of the two main musical genres of La Réunion.
CD. Karma – Nathalie Natiembé. LABEL: Wagram Music (2009), code: 3209732. VIDEO
Luc Donat († 1989).
He stood out through his work as an emblematic figure of the musical heritage of Réunion, was one of the few to have kept alive this instrumental practice, inherited from routine musicians. Author and composer, this talented violinist acquired a rare professionalism throughout his life, which allowed him to lead a rich artistic career, both in Réunion and in Madagascar or in mainland France. He was in fact one of the first musicians from Réunion to perform nationally and even internationally, becoming the ambassador of Séga in the late 1950s.
CD. Le roi du séga – Luc Donat. LABEL: Takamba (2010), code: TAKA 0408. VIDEO
Alain Péters († 1995).
He is a central figure in the revival of Maloya on Réunion. It all started in 1976. Young musicians looking for new directions mixed Hendrix with the rhythms of Sega and Maloya and illustrated this with the name of their group: Caméléon. Alain Peters and six musicians, some of whom came from mainland France, joined the band. Alain wrote the melodies and composed on his ‘takamba’ (a guitar of African origin). The songs on this album were recorded during the ‘Africolor festival’ in December 2000 at the Gérard Philipe theatre in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris.
CD. Rest’la maloya : Hommage à Alain Péters van Loy Ehrlich, Joël Gonthier, René Lacaille, Bernard Marka, Tikok Vellaye, Danyèl Waro. LABEL: Cobalt (2003), code: 93562. VIDEO – Wikipedia
René Lacaille.
He grew up in a very musical family on La Réunion. Although he was a multi-instrumentalist, talented accordionists were in need. After emigrating to France in 1979, René Lacaille immersed himself in the jazz scene. But after a performance by percussionist Danyél Waro, all the memories of his country of origin came flooding back. Lacaille returned to La Réunion and recorded the album Patanpo with percussionists and singers Bernard Marka, Joël Gonthier and Danyél Waro’s exotic and warm Sega and Maloya rhythms, mixed with blues, samba and jazz.
CD. Patanpo – René Lacaille. LABEL: Daqui (1999), code: 332009. VIDEO
Danyèl Waro.
Singer, musician and poet Danyèl Waro may be white – albeit with curly blond hair – but everyone on the African island of Réunion considers him ‘the black soul of Maloya’. Waro was born in 1955 on Réunion into a farming family of French colonists. He absorbed the local music style maloya, mainly because this genre largely defined the identity of the islanders and was banned by the French authorities. For decades he accompanied himself with homemade percussion instruments and sang in a powerful voice in Creole about the problems of contemporary Réunion: the domination of French culture, racism, work, love and death. He strives for cultural unity, for the integration of all religions, races and cultures into a global Réunionese identity.
CD. Grin n syèl – Danyèl Waro. LABEL: Cobalt (2006), code: CO 103. VIDEO
Christine Salem.
She is one of the best-known interpreters of the maloya, music that originated on the slave plantations of Réunion. Slaves brought from the African mainland brought their drums and songs with them. The French slave owners banned the music, and the maloya went underground. It was not until the end of the 20th century that this rebellious music was seen as a special cultural expression, unique to Réunion. Christine Salem has a rich, powerful voice that is supported by rhythms that sometimes give her music a hypnotic, almost ritualistic power.
CD. Larg pa lo kor – Christine Salem. LABEL: Zamora (2016), code: ZAMED27977. VIDEO
Producer: Cobie Ivens
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