A dazzlingly eclectic album from a remarkable musical explorer
The Strad Issue: June 2025
Description: A dazzlingly eclectic album from a remarkable musical explorer
Musicians: Abel Selaocoe (cello, vocals, percussion), Manchester Collective, Rakhi Singh (violin), Alan Keary (bass), Fred Thomas (piano, prepared piano), Dudù Kouate, Sidiki Dembele (percussion)
Works: Music by Bach, Marais, Selaocoe and Sollima
Catalogue number: WARNER CLASSICS 2173252583
Where even to begin in summing up this wildly creative, sometimes bewilderingly eclectic disc? Even more than its predecessor, Where Is Home, this new album serves as an all-round portrait of Abel Selaocoe – as cellist, vocalist, percussionist and composer – a musician who can line up a lush, string-ensemble arrangement of a Bach Cello Suite movement (period purists beware) next to driving rhythms from Mali and Niger and, of course, songs and hymns from his South African birthplace.
Among those, Emmanuele pits Selaocoe’s breathy, soaring voice over pillowy support from the Manchester Collective strings in a build-up to a real sense of euphoria, while likeable opener Tsohle Tsohle is a gentle pop arrangement by Selaocoe’s musical collaborator Fred Thomas, who provides eloquent arrangements throughout the disc. It’s not hard to get somewhat lost, however, among the release’s plethora of styles and approaches, and Selaocoe’s cello playing is here just one strand among many competing for attention. That’s a bit of a shame, since he’s such a passionate, perceptive performer. His Marin Marais-based improvisation is measured and thoughtful, while his two movements from Giovanni Sollima’s Boccherini-inspired L.B. Files are a delight.
Hymns of Bantu – captured in warm, close sound – is a joyful portrait of a remarkable musician’s rich and varied passions, though it might leave you wondering whether we’ve delved into any of them in the depth they surely deserve.
DAVID KETTLE
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