Baka Beyond
Encyclopedia
Baka Beyond is a world music
group formed in 1992 with members from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, fusing Celtic
and other western music styles with traditional Baka
music from Cameroon
.
) travelled to south-east Cameroon
to live with the Baka tribe in their natural rainforest environment. During their time there they recorded music with the Baka people, and some was later released on their return to the UK on Baka Beyond's first album, Spirit of the Forest.
In the early days of the band, Baka Beyond consisted of English musicians trying to re-create the sound recorded with the Baka people and integrate it into their music, but it eventually grew to include musicians from Senegal
, Brittany
, Sierra Leone
and Ghana
.
Martin Cradick and other members of the band travelled back to the rainforest to record music with the Baka people. They have recorded many albums containing a mix of music and sounds directly recorded from the rainforest, and music recorded by the band, which always shows a strong influence from Baka music.
Much of the profit from Baka Beyond's albums has been spent improving things in the rainforest, and a new music house - a large barn with recording equipment - had been built on the request of the tribe. Through the charity Global Music Exchange they continue to work with the Baka with healthcare, education and in obtaining national ID cards that give the Baka basic rights as citizens, normally denied them due to their extreme poverty and "unconventional" lifestyle.
, djembe
, ning nong, soga, kongoma, kpanlogo
, tama, kalabash and kora
(African Harp). They often perform with the Rinky Dink
.
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
group formed in 1992 with members from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, fusing Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and other western music styles with traditional Baka
Baka (Cameroon and Gabon)
The Baka, known in the Congo as Bayaka , are an ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rainforests of Cameroon, northern Republic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic. They are sometimes called a subgroup of the Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related...
music from Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
Biography
Baka Beyond began in 1992, when musicians Su Hart and Martin Cradick (formerly of the group OutbackOutback (group)
Outback was a world music group founded in the late 80s by multi-instrumentalists Graham Wiggins and Martin Cradick. The group became famous for its fusing of traditional Australian tribal music, represented primarily through Wiggins's didgeridoo, with modern Western music, mostly Cradick's...
) travelled to south-east Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
to live with the Baka tribe in their natural rainforest environment. During their time there they recorded music with the Baka people, and some was later released on their return to the UK on Baka Beyond's first album, Spirit of the Forest.
In the early days of the band, Baka Beyond consisted of English musicians trying to re-create the sound recorded with the Baka people and integrate it into their music, but it eventually grew to include musicians from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Martin Cradick and other members of the band travelled back to the rainforest to record music with the Baka people. They have recorded many albums containing a mix of music and sounds directly recorded from the rainforest, and music recorded by the band, which always shows a strong influence from Baka music.
Much of the profit from Baka Beyond's albums has been spent improving things in the rainforest, and a new music house - a large barn with recording equipment - had been built on the request of the tribe. Through the charity Global Music Exchange they continue to work with the Baka with healthcare, education and in obtaining national ID cards that give the Baka basic rights as citizens, normally denied them due to their extreme poverty and "unconventional" lifestyle.
Sound
Baka Beyond's sound is a combination of music influenced by the Baka people, African rhythms and traditional Celtic tunes. Each musician has contributed their own style to the band. Generally, their songs contain strong rhythms, traditional Baka singing style and exotic instruments including marimbaMarimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, djembe
Djembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
, ning nong, soga, kongoma, kpanlogo
Kpanlogo
Kpanlogo is a recreational dance and music form from Ghana, West Africa. It was first played by the Ga ethnic group, most of whom live in and around the capital city, Accra, but is now performed and enjoyed throughout the country...
, tama, kalabash and kora
Kora (instrument)
The kora is a 21-string bridge-harp used extensively in West Africa.-Description:A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any one category of western instruments and would have to be...
(African Harp). They often perform with the Rinky Dink
Rinky Dink
Rinky Dink is a 1962 instrumental hit by Dave "Baby" Cortez.Rinky Dink is a mobile musical sound system that operates on power provided by two bicycles and solar panels. It tours the world as part of many musical festivals and parties and is a prime example of how green electricity can be generated...
.
Other projects
- Seckou Keita, Martin Cradick and Nii Tagoe recorded a CD in 2001 called Éte. http://www.baka.co.uk/ete/index.html
- One Heart Global Music Exchange is a charity supporting many tribes in Africa through music and musical projects, run by the band and its supporters. http://www.1heart.org
- Folk Music and Dance Festival Ethiopia is a music festival held in Arba MinchArba MinchArba Minch is a city in southern Ethiopia; less common names for this city include Ganta Garo and Minghi. Located in the Gamo Gofa Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region about 500 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, at an elevation of 1285 meters above sea level...
, Ethiopia, run by Su Hart and Martin Cradick. http://www.myspace.com/arbaminchfestival
- In January 2010, Martin Cradick and Su Hart of Baka Beyond, with Andi Main of Global Music Exchange organised a festival of traditional music and dance in Cameroon, the Under the Volcano Festival
2006 Tour
- In April 2006, Baka Beyond began a UK tour. For this tour, they invited seven BakaBaka (Cameroon and Gabon)The Baka, known in the Congo as Bayaka , are an ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rainforests of Cameroon, northern Republic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic. They are sometimes called a subgroup of the Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related...
musicians, who had never before left the rainforest, to tour with them.http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1760720,00.html This event was covered by many national newspapers and TV stations.
Discography
- Spirit of the Forest (1993)
- Heart of the Forest (1993)
- The Meeting Pool (1995)
- Outback(1996)
- Journey Between (1998)
- Sogo (2000)
- East to West (2002)
- Rhythm Tree (2005)
- Baka Live (2007)
- Beyond the Forest (2009)