Artists portfolio

Behar consists of Teo Krilic (voice, guitar) and Lis Murphy (voice, violin) who play the traditional Bosnian folk music, known as Sevdah. Their music is passionate, soulful and poetic with stories to tell through unusual rhythms and beautiful eastern harmonies.  Teo still lives and works in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is from a generation of Sevdah singers who passed their heritage on through oral tradition. Classically trained, Lis is based in Manchester and has been studying Sevdah with Teo for the last 8 years.

The Bisserov Sisters trio, Lyubimka (1953), Neda (1955) and Mitra (1957) were born in Pirin village, high in the Pirin mountains, SW Bulgaria, and have been singing together since early childhood.

They made their official debut in 1978 and since then have performed around the world with traditional guest musicians, entertaining audiences with a unique style of singing and ritual re-enactments typical of Pirin village.

Their repertoire features a broad range of traditional songs and new compositions, many especially written for the Sisters. Mitra and Neda’s daughters accompany them as a sextet and with Lyubimka’s two sons, perform as the Bisserov Family Orchestra!

Formed in 2003 by Jean Blanchard Azip aka Blanchard de Plaizir, Britannia Rumba is a firm festival favourite, its infectious Congolese Soukous and Rumba dance rhythms getting even the most reluctant audiences up on their feet! The basic band consists of eight musicians, however, they can also perform with the two Afro Queens dancers for extra visual effect.

The band's lead singer Blanchard de Plaizir has just been nominated as one of four Best Newcomers in the 2009 UK African Music Awards.

Calaita, who formed in 2007 and have already attracted a large fan base, offer authentic Flamenco in the UK. Their live concerts include traditional styles such as bulerias, alegrias, seguiriyas and are performed in a variety of settings, some with dance, others with solo guitar, resulting in a complete Flamenco experience. Calaita are Chico Pere (voice) and Pepe ‘El León’ (cajón) both from Seville, Glenn ‘El Afilaó (guitar) from the UK and Araceli ‘La Catagenera’ (dance) from, naturally Cartagena! Calaita display passion and Flamenco spirit, energy and spontaneity.

Add spice to your event with THE most essential ingredients of any world music party –one or any combination of the Cosmopolitan Nights DJs Collective. Individually they produce and present weekly world music shows on Manchester’s popular multicultural radio station ALL FM 96.9. Together they bring a wide range of world music artists and genres - from the coolest and most laid back Cameroonian jazz and French chanson right through to the most exciting Souk, Salsa, Samba, Reggae and Gypsy dance music!

>>   Cosmopolitan Nights DJs's Webpage

Diene Sagna comes from a long family tradition of dance.  He trained at the prestigious Blaise Senghor Cultural Centre in Dakar, Senegal. He specialises in a variety of traditional West African dance styles, including the Senegalese Sabar and the Djembe, which originates from Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinée Konakry.  He has also developed his own individual contemporary dance style incorporating hip-hop and salsa moves. 

Diene has peformed in videos and on tour with some of the biggest names in Senegalese music, including Youssou N’Dour, Cheikh Lö, Thione Seck, Coumba Gawlo Seck and Ismael Lö.  To date, his work has taken him all over Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and the Americas.

Diene is available either individually, or with his group of dancers and musicians for performance, workshops, dance projects and cultural events.

Glenn is a professional flamenco and Spanish guitarist, who has studied with some of the leading guitar teachers, including Juan Martin (UK) and Francisco Morales (Seville), and has performed with many world music artists, including Nitin Sawhney and Aref Durvesh, as well as artists from Spain, Nigeria, India and North Africa. Glenn plays a mixture of improvised flamenco and traditional Spanish guitar with passion and flair and will bring a touch of class to your corporate or themed event or special occasion.

Born into a family of traditional oral historians or Griots in The Gambia, Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh is a master of the African harp or Kora, an instrument built from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make a resonator with a notched bridge like a lute or guitar. Jali has released a CD called “Kora Kora”.

Kakatsitsi are a group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers from the Ga tribe of Southern Ghana, with their roots in the fishing community of Jamestown, Accra. Their music combines grooves played on a wide variety of West African drums with melodies from bamboo flutes, xylophone and traditional chants sung in six part harmony.

Ideal for festivals, carnivals, street performances or village halls, Kakatsitsi show culture as it is meant to be celebrated, breaking down the barriers between audience and performers by encouraging active participation from all involved.

Congolese Soukous Superstar, Kanda Bongo Man was a favourite of the late, great John Peel and was first introduced to UK audiences by Peter Gabriel at the inaugural WOMAD festival.   He has headlined world music festivals throughout the world, and his performances include an appearance at Africa Calling at the Eden Project, during Live 8 2005. As one member of the press famously said,  “If Kanda Bongo doesn’t make you want to dance, call an ambulance. You’re dead!”

>>>   Go to Kanda Bongo Man's webpage

Originally from Trujillo on the North Coast of Peru, Kausary use traditional instruments to perform the original melodies from magnificent cultures such as the Quechuas and Aymaras within their repertoire of traditional Andean and contemporary Latin sounds, styles typical of the Andean highlands, coastal lowlands, Amazon basin and forest.

In the Andean language of the Quecuha, the word Kausary means To Revive and the band revives the Andean culture so that its universal message can be experienced  through their music and colourful costumes.

Korlan was born and grew up in Kazakhstan, which lies in the north of the central Asian republics and is bounded by Russia in the north, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the south, and the Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan in the west. She traveled throughout the world with her English husband before finally settling in Manchester. She composes simple piano melodies and has released three albums: “Voyage” “Reflections” and “Polar Star”, all of which are now available on both CD and iTunes.

>>>   Go to Korlan's webpage

Born on a Tuesday in Kingston Jamaica, and brought up in Bushy Park, a few miles outside Mandeville in the parish of Manchester, KWABENA NIP (whose name actually means 'born on a Tuesday') now operates out of Manchester in the U.K with his band, playing his own classic style of music in the roots reggae tradition. His debut album Ancestoral Vessel is available on CD Baby.

Olivia Moore first performed at the age of four and spent her childhood playing classical music on violin. At 21, she broke away from the classical genre to explore the art of improvisation. Her curiosity took her through many different styles of music: Jazz; Indian; Cuban music and Flamenco. All of these have contributed to her own unique and distinctive world music voice. She has played internationally and recorded with some of the world’s top artists, most notably Mukesh Jadhav (tabla) and Jean Toussaints (saxophone). Her own compositions come straight from her heart and reflect her journey through different states of being. She has recently release her first CD, entitled “Amoghasiddhi”.

Paprika Balkanicus are becoming one of the hottest newcomers in World music. Their electrifying show of fantastic musicianship and witty stage presence has already won them a substantial following in the UK, Europe and Japan.

The guys from Romania, Serbia and Slovenia on violin, guitar, double bass and accordion play a fiery blend of traditional and Gypsy music from the Balkans and Eastern Europe. They have played many festivals since 2007 including Glastonbury, Balkan Fever London, Secret Garden Party, Diaspora Music Village (Hyde Park), and the Edinburgh Fringe and have toured Norway, Japan and Australia.

Described by the Raqs Britannia website as one of the UK’s best-kept secrets, Samara, who is of North African descent, is a professional Arabic dancer specialising in the Egyptian Saaidi and Baladi styles. She trained with folkloric masters Farida Fahmy, Mohamed Khazafy and Amel Tafsoot and she has become well-known for her fun and uplifting classes throughout the North West. She regularly dances with the Manchester-based Nile Band and other performances include being part of a show with Transglobal Underground singer, Natacha Atlas,at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. She is available to perform on her own, or with any combination of Arabic musicians.

Multi-instrumentalist, Jazz musician and composer,  Serge Tebu moved to the UK just over two years ago after having spent several years managing the academic programme at the Zebson Jazz Academy in Douala. 

Serge is particularly interested in fusing jazz standards and his own compositions with the polyrhythms and unique harmonies of African traditional genres.

Apart from running his own band, his many other musical projects include performing in The Beating Wing Orchestra -  a unique multicultural band created for the inaugural and highly successful Manchester International Festival, under the original direction of the  renowned Palestinian singer Reem Kelani.

The !Gubi Family consist of six San musicians, ranging in age from 18 to 80, who are the keepers of a vanishing tradition of San Musical Culture. Their home is Corridor 18, in the Kalahari Desert, Namibia. The San are the originators of trance dance and their music is specifically designed to evoke an altered state of consciousness through the rhythms and beats, enabling the musician to enter trance and perform healing on both individuals and the tribe. They traditionally sing and dance throughout the night playing the mouthbow, the mbira and the zuma (four-stringed instrument).

Born in Kinshasa DR Congo, singer-songwriter Ya Freddy Wanga is most well-known for his anthem to the late Cameroonian football superstar Marc Vivien Foe “Foe, We All Miss You”. Freddy came to the UK as a political refugee in 1995, and it was in England that he realised that he wanted to make singing his career. He is now working on his debut album.

>>   Ya Freddy Wanga's Webpage