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Fra Fra Sound: Dya So
by Mark F. Turner
Warning: Listening to Dya So may cause the humming of melodies, head bobbing, finger snapping and an uncontrollable urge to dance. The Dutch jazz septet, Fra Fra Sound, has performed together for over 25 years entertaining crowds around the globe with their international blend of members and music that has roots in Pan-African, Caribbean, Latin and urban music. A lot has happened since their 2003 release Kuliplex (Pramisi Records), constant touring and multiple projects ...
read moreFra Fra Sound: Kultiplex
by Dan McClenaghan
Afro-Cubism-Afro-Caribbeanism? Crossover, jazz-saturated world music? World music? Almost but not quite mainstream jazz, filtered through a Surinamese aquifer? We've got a small problem here finding a category for Fra Fra Sound's Kultiplex.The Fra Fra Sound's septet members hail from the Netherlands, Surinam, the Antilles and Venezuela, a Euro-Caribbean mix full of bright colors and churning rhythms influenced by Surinamese kaseko, kawena, and winti, as well as several African styles of sound. Throw in a dollop of American jazz, ...
read moreFra Fra Sound: Kultiplex
by Mark F. Turner
The world music community can be a smaller and more wonderful place.
“Fra Fra” means “hybrid” or “mysterious” when spoken in Suriname, the independent South American country formally known as Dutch Guyana. Both words accurately describe the entertaining and captivating band. With a global mindset and world class appeal, the seven piece group began when bassist Vincent Henar formed the group in 1980 in Amsterdam. The septet's members have origins in the Netherlands, Suriname, the Antilles, and Venezuela. Their influences ...
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