Rokia Traoré is the subject of a feature article in the Financial Times that examines the life and career of "Mali’s most ambitious, experimental singer," in particular her place in a culture in which musical roles are often strictly defined by tradition and deep-rooted tastes. The article closes at a soundcheck in a London club in which Rokia and her band are getting ready to play, and even with the day's distractions, "when Traoré sings quietly, more to herself than to anyone else, the room is hers and hers alone."
Rokia Traoré is the subject of a feature article in the Financial Times that dubs her "Mali’s most ambitious, experimental singer." Writer David Honigmann speaks with Rokia about her new release, Tchamantché, her life, and her career, in particular her place in a culture in which musical roles are often strictly defined by tradition and deep-rooted tastes.
The two discuss her wide range of influences, from Mozart to Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holliday to Jacques Brel and Serge Gainsbourg, and interests, having worked with Kronos Quartet on her first Nonesuch release, Bowmboï, and with director Peter Sellars on a reimagining of Mozart's The Magic Flute for the composer's 250th anniversary.
Finally, Honigmann reports from a soundcheck at a London club in which Rokia and her band are getting ready for the evening's performance. And even with the distractions of the day's preparations, he writes, "when Traoré sings quietly, more to herself than to anyone else, the room is hers and hers alone."
Read the article at ft.com.
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