To letter B: Burundi and Brazil, our #SessionLive guests JP Bimeni and Chico Cesar, on the eve of the presidential elections in Brazil.
Who is JP Bimeni ?
Survivor of the darkest days of Bujumbura in Burundi in the early 90s, an apostle of soul, rhythm & blues and the god Otis Redding, J.P. Bimeni returns with a second album Give Me Hope bursting with optimism and infectious energy. give me hope sounds and grooves like the 60’s classics from Stax and Motown, between soul, psychedelia and afro-funk.
Also inspired by great leaders like Martin Luther King and James Stern (whose name is given to a powerfully funky track on the album) or by the wisdom of the most prolific creators like Lee Scratch Perry.
Between influences and tributes, Bimeni has traced his own path towards a rebirth and a personal development to both heal from the pains of the past and learn all the lessons to give himself hope.
Descended by his mother from the royal family of Burundi, Bimeni fled his country at the age of 15 during the civil war and the genocide of 1993. After having escaped certain death several times, he obtained refugee status in the Wales. Holder of a United Nations scholarship, he studied at Trinity College, an establishment reserved for children who had escaped armed conflict. It is there that he buys his first albums, those of Ray Charles, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye and above all, the one who will mark him for life, Otis Redding.
Music was his escape, his therapy. But while his first album Free Mesuper funky and cheerful, Give Me Hope is deeper and more contemplative, carrying messages and resonating with what we are currently experiencing.
Surrounded by The Black Beltshis loyal band of six Spanish gunslingers, Bimeni has all the comfort and confidence to express whatever he wants to express.
Performed titles at the big studio
– Four Walls, Live RFI see the clip
– Give me Hope, from the album Give Me Hope see the clip
– Not In My Name, Live RFI
-James Stern Live RFI.
Line Up: JP Bimeni, singing, Rodrigo Diaz, battery, Pablo Cano, low, Fernando Vasco, guitar.
Sound: Benoît Letirant and Fabien Mugneret.
► scrapbook Give Me Hope (MDC/Pias 2021).
Then we receive Chico Cesar in the #SessionLive.
Man of the World, Man of Fights, Man of Letters… such is Chico César, leprechaun with a unique look and the abundant creativity of Brazilian music. It was in Catolé da Rocha, in the depths of the State of Paraíba, in the Northeast of Brazil that Francisco (but in Brazil, the Franciscos always end up Chico) César Gonçalves was born in January 1964. Childhood was bathed in music and a regional culture that is as rich as it is meaningful. Very young, Chico composes. At 16, he left for João Pessoa, the capital of the state, to study journalism, which he financed by working in a bookstore. He sells books, but also reads them, immersing himself in the great authors of his country and elsewhere. And as in Brazil, everything happens in the south of the country, in 1984 he moved to São Paulo where he was a music critic and proofreader for the Brazilian edition of Elle magazine. He nevertheless continues to compose, performs in the bars and small underground venues of the city, befriends the musicians of the avant-garde Paulista scene. These composite elements shape the personality of Chico César and his musical signature which will flourish at the dawn of the 90s when, through the German Brazil Cultural Center, he is brought on a tour in Germany.
The success he obtained there convinced him to devote himself entirely to music. He forms a group, the Cuscuz Clã, which will give the name of his second album. But the first, Aos Vivos (that is to say Live), released in 1995 is precisely that, because no one would have invested a kopek in the production of a disc by this unknown artist. So he records one of his concerts. Sharing the stage was his contemporary Lenin, present on two tracks. Very clever who could see in this album the work of a beginner, as it is accomplished. We discover a melodist, lyricist, instrumentalist, brilliant singer. From the outset the universe of Chico César, a personality as bubbling as zen, imposes itself: the great themes of his repertoire, his very personal style, his vast culture, his sharp gaze on humanity. Applauded by critics and adopted by the general public, it entered the big leagues at the first attempt. If it is necessary to attribute a filiation to him, we will cite Caetano Veloso.
Titles performed at the Grand studio
– Amorinha Live RFI
– Xangô E Forro E Ai, Feat. Ray Lema, from the album
– Bolsominions Live RFI.
Line Up: Chico Cesar, guitar-voice.
Sound: Benoît Letirant and Fabien Mugneret.
► scrapbook Vestido de Amor (Zamora label).