Seychelles comes to Brunswick Australia
Grace Barbe with Stella Savy, Darrell Belle, Sophie Morgan and the Coco de Mer Choir will be performing on the Sunday, 8 March, 1pm at the Brunswick Town Hall 233 Sydney Rd
“The Seychelles were undoubtedly the most beautiful place I have ever visited, unbelievably lush forests, fruit-laden roadside trees, oceans full of fish, drummers and dancers on the beach, music everywhere….”
Says a Choir member from the 2014 Seychelles tour
Grace Barbe is a funky, engaging, powerful singer. Based in Western Australia, she tours internationally performing her island grooves. A cultural ambassador for the Seychelles, she is coming to Victoria for a Brunswick Music Festival appearance.
Especially for the 2015 Brunswick Music Festival, The Boite is restaging the massive 2013 performance of Coco De Mer, a Creole Carnival full of Indian Ocean rhythm and melody
The islands of the tiny nation of Seychelles are home to a vibrant music and dance culture.
In the evenings, beaches fill with musicians and dancers and the songs of a traditional moutya. Round a fire, the drummers set up the rhythms and the dancing is on.
The Coco de Mer concert, fronted by Seychellois Diva, Grace Barbe offers a Creole taster. The concert is named after the remarkable double nut, a coconut indigenous to a few of the Seychelles islands, which does not float and is therefore restricted to one habitat. Local Seychellois soloists include Sophie Morgan who sings a rapid fire love song inviting a sweet kiss on the cheek and Darrel Belle leading a heartbreaking lament for a woman whose husband neglects her. His singing is sublime.
The traditional Creole repertoire of the Seychelles is a collection of songs about living – milling kopra, from the coconut crop, fishing and boats, the bustling market place, love and sorrow. They also recall the slavery of a previous era, and echo a time when black magic and sorcery co-existed with the local Catholicism.
In a fascinating project developed by The Boite and Musical Director, Stella Savy, for whom it was an uncovering of her own musical heritage, the Coco de Mer Choir explores these songs in an afternoon concert of funky rhythms and compelling songs.
This concert is presented by The Boite and Brunswick Music Festival.
Coco de Mer
