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Bethany & Rufus

Having recently returned from the Festival Daoula in Bamako, Mali; Bethany & Rufus have expanded their group formation to include Yacouba Moumouni (Niger) and Haitian Percussionist 'Bonga' Jean-Baptiste. The expanded group came into being on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of their Label Daqui. Yacouba was appearing with his ground breaking group from Niger, Mamar Kassey, on the same stage as Bethany and Rufus . Yacouba joined Bethany & Rufus for one of the songs and the rest is the kind of magic chemistry that can never be planed.

The following summer the expanded group along with Bonga was invited to perform at Les Nuits Atypique and while doing a promotional spot on Radio France for the festival they were invited to perform on the Live a FIP radio series in March of 2009 that will be released as a Live CD September 10 2009 as a co- production with Radio France and Daqui Records.

It was in the process of rehearsing that the group really came into focus. Bethany as the daughter of legendary 60's Folk singer Peter Yarrow (Peter , Paul & Mary) draws from the many songs that her father collected as part of the seminal folk movement of the 60s. Yacouba has dug deeply into the folkloric Hausa, Djerma, Peul and Songhai traditions of Niger and Bonga is the descendant of a very rich lineage of Vodou ceremonial drumming and song. Bonga has also traveled extensively through Haiti collecting and learning the different manifestations of Haitian song and folklore. Rufus has taken the cello into previously unknown realms and is noted for his collaborations in African, Arabic, and American music forms and also has a solo CD Songs for Cello on the Daqui label. Individually all of the members of the group have been instrumental in expanding the role of traditional forms in their respective musics. It is with this background that they have come together to create a sound that although based around the song forms of American traditional music reaches back to a common root that has inspired everyone involved.

BETHANY YARROW

In 2003, Bethany released her debut CD, entitled "Rock Island", to amazing (and amazed) reviews. Beautifully produced by Kevin Salem (Mercury Rev, Bad Brains, Chocolate Genius) and Knox Chandler (David Gahan, Siouxsie & the Banshees), the CD mixed the gloss of pop production with banjos, dulcimers, harmonicas, slide guitars, gospel choirs, and the sampled ghosts of some of the great blues singers in America. In totally unexpected ways, Bethany took traditional slave lullabies, prison songs, and murder ballads, and turned them into grooving electronic pop for a new generation.

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Bethany & Rufus to Release New Live Album, "Liv a Fip" Oct. 22!

Bethany & Rufus to Release New Live Album, "Liv a Fip" Oct. 22!

Source: MusicDish Network


"This is American music that reaches out to invite and include so much more. Most of the songs have a sad undercurrent and yet at the hands of these two artists they emerge as shining songs for a new time." - ALL ABOUT JAZZ

"I've been in the music business for 37 years now and I've had my artists perform at amazing shows including Live Aid and Carnegie Hall. I have to rank Bethany & Rufus show for us in my "Top 20" of all time. Mezmerising and inventive...our audience was slack-jawed." - MINDY GILES, SWELL PRODUCTIONS

"Filled with dust and desire.... their CD gets better and better with each listen!" - AMAZON.COM

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live A Fip

Daqui Records
2009

buy

900 Miles

Hyena Records
0

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Iraq

From: Live A Fip
By Bethany & Rufus

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