Album Notes

MFA KERA ( The Voice) Of Creole extraction KERA was born in Madagascar and grew up in Senegal. After moving to Paris, she began her professional career singing the Blues and Gospel, linking with Memphis Slim and working with such luminaries as Mickey Baker, John Lee Hooker and Milton Buckner. She was invited to sing in the Film "The Adventure Of Jazz" which top billing were Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton and George Benson and she released her first music on record as part of homage to Mahalia Jackson. KERA also ventured into the pop arena with a number of funk oriented releases on RCA. A spell in Los Angeles exposed her to the work of other African and Asiatic musicians and this influenced her decision to go to Berlin via Japan in search in sympathetic world- music projects. Still in contact with friends such as Miriam Makeba, Salif Keita or Manu Dibango pursues her own style of cultural fusion already identified by her as "Ethno-Techno-Pan- African sphere" in the '80's, using her gifts in the complementary areas of writing, composing, painting and singing. Long term collaboration with German electronic composer and arranger, Reinhard Katemann, and master drummers like Ekow Alabi Savage and Nii Amah Gomez brought then a fantastic synthesis she called "Heavy-Wood-Music", on the market. In the meantime she formed the "Black Heritage Orchestra" working with US Jazzman Mike Russell, telling the story of black music in music ( from Ethnic-African music through Blues, Afro-beat, Salsa, Gospel, Reggae, Jazz, Funk and Rap). With the help of Berliner Senat KERA then wrote and produced the musical play "Odeylo" from the repertoire of the "Black Heritage": the story of "Mama Africa". Part of the soundtrack of this very successful musical was released on CD (feat.late Eddy Harris) which stayed one year long in the world music charts( between place 8 & 9 of 110 releases). The Black Heritage Orchestra is constantly performing in Europe and abroad( e.g. South Africa ,were KERA did some recordings with Airto Morera and the South African Allstars, or recently in the US). Today MFA KERA is submitting the very recent recordings of the "Black Heritage" in addition to another project to record companies via the Internet. MFA KERA recently reformed her own group which is presenting an astonishing flirt of the African music with rock and classical music. MFA KERA worked also for the publishing company "Klett" by composing songs in French for the use in schools. CD and booklet with songs and play- back: Klett Verlag, Collection Paroles & Musique 3-12-523-114.0 Concert at the prestigious "Kennedy Center" in Washington D.C. - the video is available worldwide via Internet. Recently Kera made a journey to China and brought back recordings with artists and percussionists from Mongolia. Fantastic success also in Salvador de Bahia where Kera played at the festival "Femadum" of and with "Olodum". She was also the guest of stars like Carlinhos Brown. After having performed with Black Heritage for the Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Kera was also invited to sing for the President of the Fereral Republic of Germany Johannes Rau. Kera composes, writes, produces, paints and also teaches making workshops worldwide. Reinhard Katemann was born in Germany in 1953. From 10 onwards he studied classical piano, horn, trombone and the tuba, eventually being asked to lead the school chorus. Between 1962/72 he was apprenticed as a piano tuner. Alongside his formal training he was regularly playing in bands. Living in Berlin from 1978, he developed the twin skills of sound programming and composing, achieving commercial success in selling sounds for the Yamaha synthesizers such as DX-7 and FB-01. In 1984 he developed new micro-tuning scales and sold them on cartridges for DX-7. Meanwhile he was perfecting his career as a composer, arranger and keyboard player. His interests in African music dates from an early age and it w