The Toronto-based collective Kuné (which means “together” in Esperanto) brings together a fairly broad ecumenical group of influences and musical traditions in the same assemblage. West Africa, Greece, Iraq, Brazil, Turkey, Peru, Mexico, etc. are all represented by the musicians who form its beating heart. The mayonnaise is deliciously taken, obviously, because the pieces follow one another with a speed that leaves no spectator hungry. Catchy rhythms, which draw as much from the traditions of Brazil and West Asia as from Mandingo Africa, traditional Europe and the Latin world; simple but catchy melodies, seductive voices, perfectly interwoven intercultural arrangements and instrumentations, in short, Kuné is a kind of small global orchestra emblematic of contemporary Canada. One wonders why these artists have not come to Quebec before (unless I am mistaken). In any case, we should look into it, because they know how to raise the energy level on a stage.
Musiques du Monde
