Tamala

Special combinations from The Netherlands 

Why look for world music in faraway places if wonderful musicians from everywhere live just around the corner? Podium MuziekPublique in Brussels has been making thankful use of that fact for years. Among the many remarkable combinations it has created, such as Refugees for Refugees and Voxtra, Tamala is an outlier, because violinist Wouter Vandenabeele lives in Gent and singer Mola Sylla as far away as Amsterdam. 

A dialogue between musical worlds

Vandenabeele, a veteran of the Flemish neofolk scene, can play his violin in such a way that you’re convinced it’s an African instrument. He can navigate perfectly between the murmuring waterfall of sound from Bao Sissoko’s kora and the humming, pulsating metal keys of Sylla’s kalimba. But when he picks up his bow and lets the sound vibrate vibrantly, listeners understand that this really is a dialogue between different musical worlds. And what a dialogue! All three musicians are seasoned explorers of the boundaries who embrace adventure, and that’s why Tamala is such an exponent of sophisticated ensemble playing as well as free improvisation at the cutting edge. But, above all, it’s music of almost unearthly beauty.

Line-up

Mola Sylla - Vocals, xalam, kalimba

Bao Sissoko - Kora

Wouter Vandenabeele - Violin