Juldeh Camara & Justin Adams - 8

Performance - 7 July 2012 Gambian musician Juldeh Camara is a virtuoso on the ritti. In his hands, this rustic, one-stringed fiddle provides a supple accompaniment to his vocals: rolling fables, wry observations and passionate declamations, all sung in the Fulani language. He’s an immensely likable performer. So far, so world music. But Camara’s partner for this project is Justin Adams, aka the second-hardest-working man in world music. Adams’s intent is to take African music off the coffee table, and he’s succeeded on the duo’s acclaimed new album Tell No to tracks such as Achu, which evokes Howlin’ Wolf, with call-and-response vocals and an irresistible pulse. Listen to Kele Kele (No Passport No Visa), driven by Adams’s cracking Bo Diddley-esque guitar rhythm and Martin Barker’s choppy drum beat, while Camara’s vocals soar over swirling ritti and Mim Suleiman’s ecstatic backing vocals. Despite the quartet’s small resources, they produ