African Night Fever – Saidi Kanda & Mvula-Mandondo Band

All artists want their audience to enjoy their music, but Saidi Kanda projected a charisma that was unforgettable. As audience members entered the studio a home-video style film played about Saidi’s relationship with music. The film drove home that music was his only vocation and when he appeared onstage this became even more evident.

Saidi moved effortlessly between different Tanzanian instruments and engaged the audience constantly, demonstrating traditional dance moves and using call and response techniques drumming up energy in the room. Despite lacking variety at times, all pieces were delivered with a joy and rhythm that turned an assorted audience into a united ensemble.

Studio Theatre, Brighton Dome, 11 March 2016

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