Jobarteh, Dawda
Soaring Wild Lands
On this album, the 4th to be released via Sterns Music, Dawda's musical partners are a string quartet whose instrumentation - two violins, one viola and a cello - has been an essential component of Western classical music since at least the times of Mozart. The lush sound of the "Admeta String Quartet" with arrangements scored by Dawda along with saxophonist and composer Jens Christian 'Chappe' Jensen, are on all tracks and are unique to this album. Guest vocalist, Jullie Hjetland, a winner of the Danish Music Folk Award and first heard with Dawda on his 2nd album, appears on two songs. One has lyrics by American singer and Copenhagen resident, Deborah Herbert, while words for the other English song were written by Dutch singer and teacher, Leonie de Wit. On the opposite side of this musical spectrum lie Dawda's own arrangements of traditional Gambian repertoire; "Sunjata" and "Tutu Jara", and all is held together by his original and engrossing instrumental compositions and performances.