Mino Cinelu presents "SulaMadiana"

Audio 29:00

Mino Cinelu.

Christian Rose

By: Joe Farmer Follow

33 min

Behind this enigmatic title, hide two cultural identities that the music has brought together.

"Sula" is a Norwegian island where trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer was born 60 years ago.

"Madiana" is an ancestral land to which the percussionist Mino Cinelu feels deeply attached, Martinique.

Two islands, two realities, two approaches to artistic expression and yet a unique musical osmosis.

The melodic and rhythmic dialogue of these two renowned instrumentalists gave birth to a luminous album that Mino Cinelu presents to us with passion and enthusiasm.

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Curiously, the shadow of Miles Davis hangs over this high-end record creation.

The tone of trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer reminds us of the pure musicality of the young Miles steeped in the blues, avid for classical ornamentation and troublemaker of the 60s. As for Mino Cinelu, his epic is combined with that of his chaperone with whom he shone on stage and in the studio at the turn of the 80s. It would however be very unfair to limit the sonic adventure of our fantastic rhythm player to this episode, certainly prestigious.

If there was Miles Davis, there was also Stevie Wonder, Salif Keita, Marcus Miller, Tracy Chapman, Curtis Mayfield, Branford Marsalis and Weather Report, among others… The list of artists who have benefited from Mino Cinelu's metronomic discoveries is good too long for us to detail it here.

Mino Cinelu at Joe Farmer's microphone.

Christian Rose

It makes much more sense to listen to "SulaMadiana" and feel the vibration that all of these experiences have nourished.

It is also easy to detect the progress of this hopping instrumentalist through the many tributes that mark this album.

Manu Dibango, Tony Allen and Jimmy Cobb (former drummer of Miles Davis), who died in 2020, have accompanied, sometimes indirectly, the artistic development of Mino Cinelu and his memories revive the winks of "SulaMadiana".

Allusions to friends, accomplices, partners, for a day or for always, allow us to read between the notes and to perceive the concerns of the authors at a time when the world is moving, transforming, revolting.

Unconsciously or not, the outbursts of international protest inspire creators.

So what can we say about this title

 (the

process) which punctuates the album of this majestic duo?

Does it evoke a respiratory virus that the planet is struggling to tame, failing to know how to eradicate it?

Does he evoke the asphyxiation of the black American community under the blows of overzealous police?

Does it evoke this simple desire for inner peace to which we all aspire?

Mino Cinelu at RFI.

Christian Rose

The music of Mino Cinelu and Nils Petter Molvaer is a journey that questions and calms us.

She adds up their respective sensitivity to create this thrill, this comfort, which we all seek, each time our daily life seems jostled, each time the setbacks of existence seem insurmountable to us.

The Scandinavian harmonies of one temper the Caribbean frenzy of the other.

Mino Cinelu and Nils Petter Molvaer meet, challenge and flourish together.

This cordial and musical understanding fascinates and enchants us!

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