East to West

East to West

Marrying traditional Celtic melodies and instruments with West African traditional rhythms and modern musical stylings like Highlife and Afro-pop may not seem like the most natural idea. But in the hands of Baka Beyond--a group that takes the term <i>world fusion</i> seriously, as it's roughly split between Celtic and West African musicians--the combination makes for a delicious musical stew that goes down smoothly. It's been five years since the group's last album, and longtime fans who discovered the band through its hugely successful <I>Spirit of the Forest</I> release in 1994 won't be disappointed. <I>East to West</I> is probably the group's most accomplished work to date.<p> Founded by English guitarist Martin Cradick and singer Su Hart, who lived with the Baka pygmies in the rainforest along the Cameroon-Congo border in 1991, Baka Beyond stands out from a world fusion crowd that includes groups like Deep Forest and the Afro-Celt Sound System by delving a little deeper than most into both the African and Celtic roots of its music. On <I>East to West</I>, instead of dropping in the occasional sample for exotic effect, the group places the disparate elements together in a live context with thrilling results: "Awaya Baka," where a chorus sung by Baka children melds with Paddy Le Mercer's Celtic whistle amid a funky Highlife groove; "An Gwirder," where Nii Tagoe's West African balafon and Alan Burton's bagpipes, based on similar pentatonic scales, mix seamlessly; and "Wandering Spirit," which fuses two Scottish jigs with a traditional Baka dance rhythm. <I>--Ezra Gale</I>