Music By The Sea Welcomes Jaaleekaay to Sandgate Town Hall Tonight

A chance meeting in Gambia between Australian guitarist Steve Berry and two of Gambia's finest musicians gave rise to the musical collaboration known as Jaaleekaay - meaning crossing point in the Wolof language of West Africa. Jaaleekaay will perform tonight 5 March at 7:30 p.m. at Sandgate Town Hall as part of Music By The Sea. TICKETS HERE.

When the celebrated Mbalax singer Yusupha Ngum and prodigious kora player Amadou Suso linked up with Steve, these outstanding Gambian musicians brought deep family traditions of music to the formation of Jaaleekaay. Ngum is from a 'griot' family and his late father Musa Ngum was one of West Africa's most renowned singers and proponents of Mbalax musical tradition. Suso is a direct descendent of Korea Musa Suso, also a 'griot' musician, who first introduced the kora to the world 760 years ago.

After playing together in Africa and developing strong creative bonds in 2013, Berry later asked Ngum and Suso to join him in Germany to spend time in a studio developing their passion and sound - a sound that blends contemporary musical virtuosity with ancient cultural traditions of The Gambia.

In 2013-14, touring Australia for the first time, the trio received standing ovations at Woodford Music Festival (Qld.), Port Fairy Folk Festival (Vic.), Fairbridge Festival (WA), Mullumbimby Music Festival (NSW), Illawarra Folk Festival (NSW), Brunswick Music Festival (Vic.) and Cygnet Folk Festival (Tas.) and at a number of smaller, intimate venues.

Audiences were excited by Jaaleekaay's compelling original music, musicianship and vision - expressed by Ngum's exquisite Wolof language singing, Suso's masterful kora playing and Berry's consummate guitar playing.

In partnership with Music Outback Foundation, the trio also visited remote Central Australia, playing and giving workshops at Aboriginal communities in far north South Australia and in the Northern Territory.

During that first Australian tour, Jaaleekaay expanded their musical vision, working with percussion maestro Greg Sheehan, bassist Tim Bennett and violinist Cleis Pearce. These musicians feature on new songs and recordings, being released in 2016.

In conjunction with this album release, Jaaleekaay are touring Australia again in 2016, with showcase appearances at Port Fairy Folk Festival (March 11-14), Blue Mountains Music Festival (18-20), the National Folk Festival (24-28) as well as appearing at Melbourne's newest jazz venue, the Blue Basement (March 17) and other venues in Sydney, Brisbane and Byron Bay.

You can preview the Jaaleekaay sound, as they play Laama Daliyeh, a song that features ancient men's initiation chants from Gambian traditional ceremony, below!

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View other music clips on the Jaaleekaay YouTube channel, listen to the trio's earliest recordings on SoundCloud, check their extensive biographies on their website, and keep up with the latest news on Facebook.

Concert Series 2016:

6 February - Eric Bogle (folk legend)
20 February - The Necks (jazz trio)
5 March - Jaaleekaay (Gambia/Australia)
2 April - WORLD PREMIERE of Sandgate Piano Sonata composed by Elena Kats-Chernin, commissioned by Music By The Sea and performed by Tamara Anna Cislowska
7 May - Marshall McGuire (Australia's leading harpist)
4 June - Karin Schaupp with the Italian cellist, Umberto Clerici
2 July - Acacia Quartet
17 July - Sunday Noon Concert
6 August - Flinders Quartet
3 September - White Halo Ensemble
18 September - Sunday Noon Concert
1st October - Ian Cooper (violin) with Ambre Hammond (piano)
23 October - Sunday Noon Concert
5 November - TBA

In July we are commencing Sunday Noon Concert series. The concerts will be one hour long with mainly artists from refugee communities in the program. Music By The Sea believes that ART is essential for the wellbeing of the community.

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