Tales of Orisas

The Nigerian-born jazz percussionist Lekan Babalola and British clarinettist Kate Luxmoore formed the Sacred Funk Quartet ‘following a commission by the University of Birmingham in 2021.’ The ensemble’s debut album is a musical celebration of the orishas (spirits) venerated by the Yoruba people. The nine instrumental pieces are all named after a different spirit and trace an odyssey that takes the orishas from West Africa to the diaspora of the New World. The energetic polyrhythms of Babalola, who played on Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabate’s In the Heart of the Moon, underpin all nine tracks over which Luxmoore weaves a series of striking melodies accompanied by some truly sparkling guitar from Reuben Reynolds and the dextrous bass playing of Josh Vadiveloo. From ‘Sango’, which has its heart deep in an African forest, to ‘Baba Ile Lo Le Efun’, which sounds like the soundtrack to a sun-drenched Caribbean carnival, it’s a fascinating journey.