Where Is Home (Hae Ke Kae)

This is one of the most impressive debut albums in a long time. Effectively, it’s a self portrait of the South African born musician, classical cellist and experimental collaborator now based in Manchester. Where Is Home, with its African title Hae Ke Kae in Sesotho, opens with ‘Ibuyile iAfrica / Africa is Back’. It’s a substantial piece written for Desmond Tutu’s birthday featuring fellow cellist Yo-Yo Ma, no less, Selaocoe’s vocals and a gospel choir. It’s reverential, heartfelt and profound. By contrast ‘Zawose (for Hukwe Zawose)’, dedicated to the late Tanzanian musician, is a tour de force of sounds and textures with thrilling rhythmic plucks that sweep you away as it celebrates Tanzanian support for South Africa during apartheid days. And then there are baroque classical pieces by Platti and Bach. Over the latter Selaocoe sings a lyrical vocal bringing Western and African music into a totally shared place. A handful of pieces like stand-out ‘Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side’, are performed with his Manchester-based group Chesaba featuring Sidiki Dembélé on djembé and Alan Keary on bass.

What’s remarkable about this album is not just the strength and ferocity of the playing and the power of the material, but the singleness of vision that brings these contrasting ingredients into a thrilling whole.