Aribo Productions presents the release of “Medicine Man Orchestra” on January 22, 2021 (Believe Digital Distribution) and on February 5, 2021 (L’Autre Distribution).
The Medicine Man Orchestra project was born from the meeting between the Beninese griot Seidou Barassounon and the French producer Mathieu Insa. It is a sensory journey that brings together on stage the percussions of Mélissa Hié (Vol du Boli / Damon Albarn), the electronic machines of Alissa Sylla and the incantations of the griot Seidou.
British guitarist Justin Adams (Tinariwen, Robert Plant) and Nigerian percussionist Wura Samba (Keziah Jone, Nneka) also took part in the show soundtrack composed by Alissa Sylla.
The scenography is entrusted to Nicolas Ticot (XLR Project) for the creation of light frescoes in three dimensions synchronized to the music.
Finally, France Médias Monde, main partner of the project, is providing with RFI Labo, its expertise in binaural* sound mixing as well as the design of virtual reality videos.
*Binaural mixing is an innovative technology that allows a 3D sound reproduction as close as possible to natural listening.
We will soon announce the date of the Paris premiere soon, by then, here are the dates of the 2020/2021 tour:
– November 26: Alliance Française of Accra (Ghana)
– November 28: French Institute of Lomé (Togo) + Digital workshop on November 30
– December 5: French Institute of Cotonou (Benin) + Masterclass at Lycée Montaigne on December 4
– January 12-14, 2021: residency & concert at the Forum de Vauréal (Val d’Oise, France) on January 14 evening.
– January 22, 2021: Live Stream launching concert at Studio de L’Ermitage (Paris, France)
«Medicine Man Orchestra» is an sensory journey through the spiritual worlds of West African griots. It explores the emotional and medicinal power of music and words across borders and throughout history.
The griots were born under the empire of Ghana (fourth – thirteenth century), then crossed the history of the empire of Mali (thirteenth – fourteenth century) and the Songhai empire (sixteenth and fifteenth century) and are still present nowadays.
Discovering their music is a time-travel challenge: it is to discover a contemporary music of our European Middle Ages which is vibrant, popular, evolutive and «classic» in the noble sense of the term. You still hear it in the village chiefs’ speeches as on the radio or on television.
This millennial music, listened to and respected throughout West Africa, has been traditionally invested with a crucial role: the oral transmission of memory, outside religious institutions.
Music therapy is used to improve the overall well-being and is particularly beneficial in the accompaniment of people with behavioral, relational or communication difficulties. The therapeutic effect of music has always been recognized. The ancients and traditional cultures regarded it as a sacred science.
The griots of West Africa have never doubted the therapeutic effect of their music. Thus, depending on the context, they will sometimes play music to console or comfort at the funeral of a king for example, sometimes to move away from negative energies or to enter a meditative or joyful trance.
Therefore, Medicine Man Orchestra is a “traveling therapy troupe” which utilises the principles of music therapy and offers spectators around the world a unique audio and visual experience using innovative sound and image broadcasting technologies.
It is an ambitious project whose mission is the appeasement and well-being of its audience worldwide.
