ECHO

It’s been ten years now since Catrin Finch, the classically-trained Welsh harpist, first began working with Seckou Keita, the British-based exponent of the West African traditional harp, the kora, and in that time they have created some of the finest, most gently elegant and thrilling fusion music on the planet. The duo effortlessly mix influences from Western classical or folk music with African styles, showing a remarkable musical empathy as they trade solos in their emotional, atmospheric compositions. And they like to surprise. Their second album SOAR, four years ago, explored links between Wales and West Africa by celebrating the migration of the osprey – and then moved on to show how Bach could be played on kora.

The surprises this time include vocal work from Seckou on three tracks, and a string section and double bass on four of the seven compositions. It’s a brave move but it works. The opening ‘Gobaith’ (Welsh for ‘Hope’) is a gloriously uplifting, melodic instrumental, while on ‘Dimanche’ the strings combine with kora and harp to provide backing for Seckou’s thoughtfully emotional voice. Elsewhere, the three tracks without added strings include the slinky, almost jazzy ‘Dual Rising’ and the remarkable finale, ‘Julu Kuta’, a subtle and lengthy piece with constant changes of musical direction. Magnificent.