Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita - Soar

The Guardian 80

(Bendigedig/Arc)

Senegal and Wales share few obvious similarities, but Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch, respectively maestros of the kora and classical harp, have found an enchanted middle ground between their birthplaces and traditions. Arriving some five years after an acclaimed debut, Clychau Dibon, this second album weaves much the same magic, taking as its motif the osprey, the sea bird that migrates between west Africa and northern Europe. “They know where they will find peace and happiness,” says Keita. “I’ve been on the same journey myself, but in a different way.”

The exultation of flight is captured on opener Clarach, kora and harp cascading around each other intricately, while the enforced migration of slavery is addressed in 1677, a darker, bluesier piece referring to the infamous slave station of Goree – though even here the playing is gloriously airborne. Bach to Baïsso begins as an extract from Bach’s Goldberg Variations before flipping into an antique Senegalese tune with griot chants; a daring but successful leap. The pair take turns to supply an underlying riff or play lead, but the interplay between their instruments is seamless, and testimony to their years working together. Hypnotic and ethereal, Soar is a unique marriage of cultures.