Around the World in 60 Days. Once again Over The Border Festival organizer Manuel Banha has done a fantastic job of bringing top World Music stars to Bonn. Sunday’s opening concert featuring The Local Ambassadors is a project within a project so to speak, and a very popular part of the Festival. The idea is simple enough: to bring together top local musicians to play alongside World Music stars. The reality must be anything but simple – a logistical nightmare. And how do you get all these complex styles and emotions into a cohesive musical sound with barely a couple of days to rehearse? Enter Bonn’s keyboardist extraordinaire Marcus Schinkel…
Only someone with Schinkel’s 360-degree musical vision could get these undoubted high quality musical ingredients tasting and sounding as sweet as Sunday’s concert under such circumstances. Israeli vocalist Gal Tamir captured the essence of it all during his mesmerizing set, explaining that the band would play a well known Fado song but in a totally different style. And there you have it – the essence of Local Ambassador’s success – A minimum of rehearsal time and a maximum of musicianship = musical inspiration.
Another example of how well the style-mix works occurred in the evening’s very first set when Marcus Schinkel added a Japanese keyboard to back Gergana Dimitrova’s vocal. The keyboard itself is a technical labour of love that Schinkel revealed involved changing keys and adding strings… He tried it out and it fit the song perfectly. Dimitrova seemingly welcomed the experiment and her own music is based around making Bulgarian Folklore music relevant to younger generations so experimentation is welcome. She certainly has nothing to prove musically. As a member of ‘Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices’ which inspired Kate Bush and whose song ‘Kalimankou Denkou’ was played at David Bowie’s wedding in 1992. Dimitrova’s was the first of many talented vocalists to warm our ears and hearts this evening.
The following duo fit Monty Python’s old adage ‘now for something completely different’ for sure. They were linked to the previous set though by an excellent vocalist – this time the voice of Maria Barouh who also contributed some lively music via transverse flute. Together with Fixi on accordeon, there was a distinct dance atmosphere created and utilised by keen listeners who managed to find space between the tables. Kudos too for Barouh managing to get an audience to sing-along in Japanese – no mean feat! It turns out that there is even more energy available where the duo are concerned – they are actually only a part of the band L’Ultrabal who will be appearing at Telekom Forum on 22 March. My advice is to go – and don’t forget your dancing shoes!
In presenting Israeli born Gal Tamir, Marcus Schinkel suggested we all order a glass of red wine as the perfect accompaniment. He was spot on. The large pendant around his neck and ring large enough to house a watch face suggested a musician of, how should I politely put it? – large ego. But in fact Tamir came across as the exact opposite, a man totally without affectation, with a quiet and engaging manner of presentation. What a wonderfully silky voice too, with which he seemed to be hypnotizing not just the audience but himself.
Tamir draws heavily from the music of his band Al’Fado who are an Israeli-Portuguese ensemble based in Lisbon. It’s a style that draws on music from the Iberian Peninsula, and mixes influences of Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew into a style called Ladino. and is a musical tradition inspired by other local musical genres such as Fado and Flamenco. At one point in his set Tamir introduces a song to remind us that in the present turbulent times we should not forget to remember the simple pleasures of life. He is right of course, and a glass of Kölsch went down as smoothly to his music as any glass of wine could have. Magic indeed.
Magic too from Estrela Gomes after I got used to her high vocal pitch. Amy Winehouse at 78 rpm perhaps would describe it. But seriously though, Estrela is a fine folk singer and her ability to impersonate a trumpet must have had Florian Hertel from Druckluft wondering why he needs to carry a heavy trombone onstage.
And still more wonderful music and singing to come as a smiling Marcus Schinkel introduces the evening’s special guest from Senegal Rema Dorp. We were certainly blessed vocally on this March Sunday in Bonn Beuel. I didn’t find verey much info about Diop on the internet, but she has a strong musical presence on TikTok and Threads so please do check her out. What impressed me particularly, aside from her powerful voice, was how Diop managed to blend in so effortlessly with the musicians around her – especially when they all joined her onstage for the finale.
Finally a word regarding the evening’s real heroes in my book: Marcus Schinkel (keys), Bob Vogston (guitar), Marius Goldhammer (bass), Florian Hertel (trombone) and Pape Seck(/Alex Bernath (percussion). Gentlemen, I was seriously gobsmacked by how you all managed to fit in so seemingly effortlessly with such a disparate array of musical styles and with so little rehearsal time. Not only that, but you all clearly enjoyed the challenge and the music. In fact, so many musicians onstage and zero egoes. Just smiling faces enjoying each others contributions.
The bar for this year’s Over The Border Festival has now been set – and it’s a high one. Lots more to come though until 14 May so check out the dates HERE
