The long awaited CD “Double Focus” by the Tanzanian poet and musician Ras Nas aka Nasibu Mwanukuzi is set for release in Oslo, Norway, in November this year. The CD contains music and spoken word. Recorded at Urban Sound studio in Oslo by the legendary recording engineer Jock Loveband, “Double Focus” brings together musicians from Mali, South Africa, Norway, Bangladesh and Brazil. The poems are based on an anthology of poetry by Nasibu published by Kongoi Productions in 1989.
Double Focus is a continuation of the ancient African oral tradition of storytelling through poetry but taken a step further. The ngoni, an ancient African stringed instrument played by Sidiki Camara from Mali, creates a mellow and dream-like mood on two of the tracks. The African marimba by Zwai Mbula from South Africa provides a strong warm groove on some other tracks, while the strange and inventive sax of Rolf-Erik Nystrøm from Norway gives Double Focus a truly original energy. The Amazon Ensemble from Brazil and the singer Kohinoor from Bangladesh have also taken part, making “Double Focus” a rare universal product that is worth having by any music and poetry lover.
