WOMAD

BBC Radio 3 Live at WOMAD, 27th to 29th July 2012

‘Serious musos beat a trail to the BBC Radio 3 stage’ Independent on Sunday, 2011

BBC Radio 3 stage devotees will get a bit more protection from the elements this year with a Saddlespan tent positioned in a slightly less-treed area of WOMAD’s Arboretum, affording similar shade but a clearer view of a strong line-up both of familiar artists from across the world, and emerging artists, several making their UK debut.

Friday begins with the lively traditional foot rhythms of Quebec with three-piece band Genticorum, and continues in gentler mood with the mellow voice and guitar of Michel Mondrond from Cape Verde. The mugham song tradition of Azerbaijan is brought us by a new voice from this musically-rich country, Nazaket Teymurova. Kora player Diabel Cissokho performs songs from the Senegalese griot tradition with a band including ngoni, guitars and talking drums, and the day ends with an artist at the forefront of innovative English folk, Seth Lakeman.

Saturday starts with one of Cape Breton’s hottest young fiddle players, Chrissy Crowley, followed by a collaboration between UK multi-instrumentalist Paddy Bush and Malagasy valiha legend Justin Vali. London’s premier klezmer band She’koyokh blend Jewish, gipsy, eastern European and Middle Eastern styles, now with Turkish vocalist Çi?dem Aslan. The day concludes with young Scottish traditional band Breabach and finally the desert blues of Touareg guitarist and singer Abdallah Oumbadougou from Niger.

The World Routes Academy scheme is featured in the opening concert on Sunday with collaboration between this year’s protégé José Hernando Arias Noguera on accordion and guitar, with fellow Colombian Angelica Lopez and her papayera band. Bristol’s own Claudia Aurora sings the fado tradition of Portugal, and the haunting vocals of Mia Hsieh are featured in A Moving Sound from Taiwan. Australians Frank Yamma and David Bridie perform songs reflecting the concerns and the culture of the indigenous Pitjantjatjara people, and to end with, the full-blown brassy dance music of Denmark’s Habadekuk.

Radio 3’s world music team of Andrew McGregor, Lopa Kothari, Lucy Duran and Mary Ann Kennedy will be there to host the stage, and introduce more than eight hours of live broadcasts on Radio 3. There will be further highlights over the following weeks on Radio 3’s World Routes and World on 3.

‘As always, much of the best of Womad could have been seen by simply staying put in the arboretum, where the BBC Radio 3 Stage rounds up the most exciting new artists.’ Financial Times, 2011