DUBLIN percussionist Brian Fleming introduced this marathon night of big band abandon with the European debut of fantastically clad Senegalese traditional musicians Jarraman.
Centred on drumming, with tabla like sarubas stacked rumbas and waisted djembes they coloured their rhythms with kora (African harp) and off centre vocals and choruses.
The Nualas took over the baton with their own brand of exoticism - expertly metered, sharp country girl culture and split second repartee. Dayglo, armpit length minis were, whipped off to augment superb showgirl song style, the River of Sound hand that fed them sarcastically bitten: "We want to share the mood with you".
Mel Mercier's UCC based Pulsus percussion ensemble restored the pedagogic to this University of Limerick effort at spending some of Mr Toyota's munificence among the city's masses. Mercier's stern master drum led the mostly female, black clad acolytes out of blue spotlights and smolce into a terrific journey up rivers other than the Shannon. Vocals added to the cow bell controlled batteries of taut skins and maracas, rhythms of Ghana were augmented by an army brass section arranged by pave Murphy, South India mouth percussion complexity bewildered the punters but not for long movement was what it was all about. The superb, suave jazz/salsa big band Tumbaito took this dance con cert to a spectacular finish under Venezuelan percussionist Williams Cumberbache with brass section, keyboards, guitars vocals and guiros rasp. But it was the warm, easy, exHugh Masekela singer/ drummer Francis Fuster, and his band who were the highlight of the night. Outstanding sax and trumpet, lead guitar, djembe and talking drum, congas, kit drums and chorus singers were crowned by the molo lute and superb, vocals of their intense Ghanaian griot singer, Captain Yaba.
