Tree Dimensional Tunes

Former Finnish ballet dancer Maarika Autio went to West Africa to study kora and the diatonic balafon, which is rarely played by women. Earning a master’s degree in global music, she co-founded a dance company and collaborated with members of the long-running cross-cultural group Piirpauke. Her latest band is the all-acoustic Frocodiles – formed in 2019 as the Frosty Crocodiles – featuring local and international musicians based in Helsinki. They include Senegalese djembé master Cheick Cissokho and Uyghur guitarist Repkat Parhat, who spins an exquisite solo on ‘Sikin Sokin’, along with jazzy sax from Kaisa Siirala.

That tune and opening track ‘Kilin Fula Saba’ are cheerful, lilting balafon-driven tunes that would slide smoothly into a Putumayo compilation or café playlist. ‘Soumaworo Kante’ lays down a Caribbean groove spotlighting Aruban drummer Christopher Rodulfo and Autio’s impassioned balafon playing. Elsewhere on the album, Autio gets more serious and experimental, with quirky vocals in Finnish, Mandinka and Wolof. Sometimes she has a semi-spoken approach, words tumbling over varied musical structures including melancholy Nordic folk. While her vibrato-edged singing may be an acquired taste, Autio’s playing is always a delight – as is her multi-faceted band.