Any concert by Manchester Collective or Abel Selaocoe is well worth seeking out, but one which includes them both transcends the term concert and becomes an event and one which should not be missed.
I first saw this collaboration in March 2022 in a work called The Oracle, and was more than impressed. That ensemble was a larger one than this evening’s group, but that is the beauty of Manchester Collective, which, as its name suggests, is a gathering of musicians who work together to play music from a variety of genres – quite often all in the same programme and sometimes in the same piece!
I have also seen Abel Selaocoe on Later with Jools Holland and heard, but not seen, him during Leeds City of Culture Year when he wrote and recorded the soundtrack to a walk round the City Centre which was beamed from strategically placed transmitters to headphones provided by the organisers. It was a wonderful way to appreciate parts of the City I have walked round literally thousands of times in my life, in a totally different way. One of the sections was to be performed tonight.
The ensemble. Left to right – Rakhi Singh, Simmy Singh, Ruth Gibson, Abel Selaocoe, Sidiki Dembele and Alan Keary.
The programme was entitled Sirocco, which is a hot wind originating in the Sahara and blowing into Southern Europe, sometimes reaching hurricane speeds. Although not totally geographically accurate, the cellist being from South Africa and the concert staged in the less than Mediterranean climate of Leeds, the other parts were correct, as, after a gentle start, the performance reached such a pitch as to blow the audience away by the force of nature which is Mr Selaocole.
In his introduction, the wind concept was explained and we were asked to join in with the experience of being wafted to random places, as no two performances would be the same. By the end of the night I was wishing that, if that were the case, I had been able to go to all of them.
The first piece began as an improvisation, beginning with percussion, played by Sidiki Dembele and bass, Alan Keary, it then passed to the string section – Rakhi Singh, violin, her sister Simmy Singh, violin and Ruth Gibson, viola – a transition beautifully accentuated by the lighting engineers, who, rather than cast a harsh spotlight on them, darkened the stage except for the parts where the featured players were seated. This changed with the soloists until the whole ensemble joined in and the piece seamlessly segued into a section of The Fairy Queen by Purcell. Magical.
I find describing music to be difficult as we all have different reference points, so I have included this link to a piece played in the performance. It perfectly illustrates the range of sounds produced in just one six-minute section. It might seem as though it will take you out of your comfort zone but please stick with it. Although the vocal style is somewhat alien to British ears to begin with, the cello is almost pure Spanish Flamenco, after which the song gets into more familiar territory with the instrument’s sound reminiscent of a Delta Blues guitar and the vocal more a chant than a growl. The violins add even more familiarity as does the electric bass, which I noted has five strings. Not something I have seen before. The call and response section, initially only comprising the players, soon turns into audience participation, although those present at the gig filmed seemed as though they were recruited from Madam Tussaud’s. We were much less inhibited with the sell-out crowd giving as good as we got. I have just played it a couple of times and found the energy to be palpable, even at 9.30am on a cold, dreary morning, so can you imagine what it was like live, with the vibration hitting you in the chest and the enthusiasm hitting you in the soul. I am so lucky to be able to attend events such as this, although there are not many ‘such as this’!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJZ4zd7Acq0&t=354s
If that is an illustration of a six-minute portion, just think what the other hour and a half had to offer. We were treated to a song about motherhood – Mr Selaocoe, whose banter and explanations of what we were about to hear were very informative and entertaining in themselves – reminding us that all our mothers provided our passage into the world. There were works by Benjamin Britten and an African hymn which melded into a Haydn String Quartet.
The names of most of the pieces were not in English but we were provided with a translation, my favourite being I Love Them So, But I Can’t Think Why! Not only is it hilarious, but it summed up the theme of the programme which was to afford everyone unconditional love, even if you can’t think of a reason to do so.
I am not sure how tall Abel Selaocoe is, he doesn’t seem much larger than his fellow musicians on the photographs, but he has such immense charisma, he seemed to fill the stage, especially on the occasions when he leapt to his feet mid-tune like a tribal chief rousing his followers, which, I suppose he was this evening. He was not so overbearing as to neglect appreciation for the rest of the performers, being very generous in his praise for them and allowing space for their contributions by almost melting into the background, rather than doing something whilst they were playing in order to remind the audience that he was still there.
Rakhi Singh, the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Manchester Collective, was also very magnanimous when she introduced her colleagues, pointing out their diverse backgrounds; she and her sister being English/Welsh/Indian; Ruth Gibson, Irish; Abel Selaocoe, South African; Sidiki Dembele, Ivory Coast and Alan Keary, Irish.
As you may have gathered, I, and the rest of the audience, quite liked this show and, should you get a chance, I highly recommend you get a ticket. Sadly the Leeds gig was one of the last on the tour, The Tung, Liverpool on Saturday, 16th November, and Stoller Hall, Manchester the following day being the only ones left. For bookings and more information about Sirocco and Manchester Collective, please go to https://manchestercollective.co.uk/sirocco You’re welcome!
For the coming events at the amazing Howard Assembly Room it is https://www.operanorth.co.uk/event-tag/har/ where you can also follow the link to Opera North’s section.
Feature image from Opera North. Photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 