Blick Bassy
France | Cameroon

So much has been written about the connections between Delta blues and West African guitar music that it almost doesn’t bear mentioning. But just listen to Blick Bassy, the French-based Cameroonian singer and guitarist’s newest record and you’ll know that we’re nowhere near to closing the book on just how much the two styles of music have influenced each other.

Bassy was originally a member of Macase, a multi-lingual outfit based in Cameroon, but left the band and relocated to France in 2005. But after recording two well-received solo records exploring the musical connections between Cameroon and France, Bassy looked for new creative directions. He formed a trio with trombonist, Fidel Fourneyron and cellist, Clement Petite and opened up a musical palette that included gypsy swing, salsa and Parisian style jazz.

The more they played together, the more Bassy’s musical ideas came full circle. When he began writing new songs about the places he missed in the Cameroon of his childhood, Mississippi bluesman Skip James’ music surfaced and began to permeate everything he played  – and what began as an inspiration evolved into a heartfelt, genre-defying tribute album.

He’s coming to the festival this summer, and you won’t want to miss a single note of Bassy’s beautiful soaring voice as it glides over his fluid guitar melodies and takes us on a journey to Cameroon, the crossroads, and back.