Gig review: L’Afrik c’est Chic (w/ Amadou et Mariam) @ Jazz Cafe, Sun 15th March 09

Inside there was a warm vibe as Eric Soul and Malian Djembeni-mix man  MoDJ were  trading seamless upbeat tracks;  the stage was  set with two enormous leather sofas, a drum-kit and various microphones. Then Amadou and Mariam were  led on to the stage,  coordinating chic outfits: I had never seen besant-cloth so burnished before, like highly polished supple black leather, matched with  equally gorgeous sunglasses. They ensconced themselves on a sofa, checked if the audience was alright, and started playing. The two first numbers – ‘Compagnon de la Vie’ and another from ‘Welcome to Mali’ were the only ones the couple performed as a duo.

“Please welcome Romeo [Stodart, of indie band The Magic Numbers]” and there he was, sharing a laidback Magic Numbers track as if it had been written with Amadou & Mariam  in mind. Romeo spent ‘hours and hours playing’ with Amadou on the Africa Express tours, he told me , and his ease showed. This exchange set the tone. Guests Nuru Kane – playing his guimbri behind his head at times, Nathan (mind-blowing) Flutebox Lee, Sam Duckworth and Andy Theakstone (respectively guitarist and drummer of  rock band  Get Cape Wear Cape Fly ), Leon de Bretagne (bassist for   Rachid Taha), their own djembe man Boubacar Dembelé, as well as the wonderful Canadian/Haitian singer-songwriter-guitarist Melissa Laveaux, were all welcomed on stage individually or sometimes just sneaked on together and took  the lead for a couple of tunes, before  Amadou & Mariam regained  their pedestal on  stage.

As the evening built, Amadou’s trademark high-tuned guitar Rock/Mali base heightened and the deceptive simplicity of Amadou &Mariam’s signature style showed its versatility.
The frisson as Mariam sang opera-strength over music that would make the Africa Express journey from Bamako to Kinshasa a pleasure, or graciously allowed Nuru Kane the higher ground when there wasn’t a clear entry- point, was palpable. As for Melissa Laveaux, she came out as a revelation, so look out for her.