Malia : Malawi Blues - Njira

Description

MALIA: A BRILLIANT DEMONSTRATION OF SPICED SOUL-JAZZ THAT ECHOES WITH SOUNDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. For her sixth studio album, MALAWI BLUES - NJIRA, Malia once again brings her clear and expressive voice to the realm of soul jazz: “I had wanted to make this record for a long time and I felt the time had come. I wanted songs that reflect my deepest self, my roots.” This is how she sums up the spirit of the ten tracks on Malawi Blues / Njira. Among these meditative, even contemplative pieces, with their sparse instrumentation — piano, guitar and percussion — is an almost minimalist version of the classic “Moon River”. From the opening, Malawi Blues / Njira resonates with the sounds of her African childhood. Echoes of traditional kwela and kwasa kwasa electrify several tracks, such as “Love Is Holding Both Our Hands”. “I think, modestly, that it is my duty to pass on this rich tradition of stories, exactly as my ancestors did, then my grandparents and finally my parents in Malawi, in the evening, sitting around the fire and a meal of nsima and pumpkin leaves in peanut sauce.” This is, however, only one facet of an artistic body of work enriched by all the personal and professional experiences that have marked her life. From her time in the world of London clubs, where she sang in small bars before a limited audience, Malia retained a mastery of time. Night after night, live, she learned to subtly modulate her performances. Today she makes the most of this musical diversity, which allows her, in “Chipadzuwa” (a Southern African slang word for a pretty girl), to alternate lightly between chichewa, a regional language, and English, a global language. Supported by Alex Wilson’s virtuoso piano, her performance is at once serene, detached and very warm. Engaged in a global musical world, for which she works and fights, Malia takes stock in her own way: “A message to all the silent warriors of the world: Malawi Blues - Njira is for you!”