Mdungu, Club Meander, A'Dam
Bongos are great. Their only problem is that every fool thinks they can play them. Far too often I’ve been guilty of showing off my supposed mastery of them at a party in a futile attempt to impress the ladies. After seeing Mdungu’s percussionist in action it won’t be a trick I’ll be repeating again. Not only does he not play ‘bongos’, but djembe, sabar and talking drum, he plays them with such passion, flair and skill that it’s impossible to drag your eyes off him while he performs. When you manage to drag your eyes and ears away to focus on what the rest of the band are up to, it’s pretty good stuff too.
Mdungu are an Afrobeat inspired band who also fuse jazz, funk and rock into their sound. Most of these influences are evident in their opening number, a sort of Funkadelic meets Fela Kuti jam, which swirls around a hypnotic guitar groove. Although it’s more reflective than the majority of tracks Mdungu go on to play, it introduces us to the way the instruments (2 guitars, 2 saxophones, 2 percussionists, and er, 1 bassist) play off each other. They work well in harmony, but the best moments come when they play off each other to take the music to another level.
Most of the tunes played were instrumental until they were joined by their special guest from Gambia, Sheikh Tijan Samba, a captivating singer with an arresting voice and a way of draping himself over the mic-stand that puts Liam Gallagher to shame. He sprinkled some gravity and soul to the evening, which was slightly undone when he introduced a song about two men in love with the same woman, which unfurled into a riotous upbeat reel instead of the melancholy drama I expected. Clearly I’ve been listening to too much deep soul.
The evening climaxed with a sprawling Afrobeat epic, which began with an impressive drum solo, before the horns took over and the bespectacled and bearded sax player gave an emotionally charged solo. But there was more. As the rest of the band shuffled off stage the two percussionists were left to go head to head in a drum-off where the sparks flew as thick and fast as the sweat and sticks. It was awesome and it's this rare ability to improvise and show off their skills without disappearing up their own backsides that makes Mdungu special. The groove is king, and that’s the way it should be.
They’re currently in the middle of a monthly residence at Club Meander in Amsterdam, so you've got the rest of the year to get your groove on.