Baka Beyond have been making world music since before the term was common parlance, fusing African rhythm with Celtic harmony.

Twenty-one years on they have been touring the UK following the release of their 11th album, Beyond The Tempest, a tour which brings them to the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham tonight.

“We have been going so long, we forget we do have an impact in all sorts of places – I never realise how widely it is spread,” says Su Hart, who founded the band with her husband Martin Cradick, as she recounts a story of a man from India getting in touch saying that he had been following their music for 20 years.

The Baka in Baka Beyond relates to the Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, whom Su and Martin were inspired to visit after watching Phil Agland’s award-winning 1987 documentary, Baka: People Of The Rainforest.

Su says that she has always liked to travel, having toured as an artist drawing portraits of people. At the same time, she has always sung and played music.

“Martin and I started travelling together, busking. It was a chance to look at the people around us without making them feel uncomfortable. We busked all around Colombia.

“Music is a non-verbal language. Everywhere you go, you give something through playing, and immediately make friends. Through music, cultural differences became interesting rather than threatening.”

Agland’s documentary proved to be life-changing for Su and Martin, who spent six weeks living with and learning from the Baka in the rainforest.

“It was an absolutely brilliant portrayal. We loved the music in it, and we watched it through the night in the winter in England,” says Su, who provides the lead vocals for Baka Beyond, while Martin is the guitarist.

“There was such awareness and listening in the music and the culture, as that’s how you survive in the rainforest.

“The music is beautiful and magical, particularly the women singing out into the night to charm the animals.”

Su and Martin wanted to bring the spirit of this music back home with them, and the album Spirit Of The Forest, the first from Baka Beyond was warmly received in 1993. The rest is history, and although the line-up has changed over the years, the band retains a loyal following, particularly as world music grows in popularity.

One example of traditional Baka music incorporated by Baka Beyond is a type of singing practiced by the Baka women, a loud yodelling, described as Yeli. The Celtic tradition is as important as the African however, and the result is a sound which has drawn people to dance floors far and wide.

The relationship that they and the rest of the band have formed with members of the Baka tribe is strong and enduring, with the band making annual visits to Cameroon, not only to make music – they tour with local musicians – but also to help with development projects.

The charity Global Music Exchange was formed to facilitate this, and royalties from sales go back to Cameroon to fund projects which the Baka want to make happen, whether these are medical, educational, or musical.

As well as Su and Martin, the current live band features Clyde Kramer on drums, who has also spent time living with the Baka, Ayodele Scott (percussion) from Sierra Leone, Congolese Kibisingo (bass), and Ellie Jamison (vocals), who Su has sung with since Ellie was nine.

Baka Beyond are making the most of the latest technology on this live tour by incorporating video footage of the Baka dancing, which keeps in time with the music the band is playing.

“You’d have to ask Martin exactly how it works,” says Su. “But it’s done through a trigger on the bass drum; it’s a marvellous feeling.”

Baka society has changed a great deal since Phil Agland made his original documentary, says Su, with forest traditions being watered down and destroyed as the forest itself is destroyed. This includes the musical tradition, which has always been a key part of forest life, and says Su is a source of power for Baka women.

“I have learned so much from the way the Baka sing together – I can put that into other areas of my work,” says Su, who along with Martin is based in Bath and is also a teacher, choir leader and workshop facilitator.

As for Baka Beyond, the plan is to continue to take the global sound to new audiences, and support the rainforest people who inspired the band.

“We would like to keep touring with the band. We are going to Australia next year, which is a new venture. There is a smattering of people all over who have become intoxicated with this music,” says Su.

  • Baka Beyond are at Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham-By-Sea on Saturday, November 1. Call 01273 464440 or visit ropetacklecentre.co.uk
  • Visit bakabeyond.net for more information on the band.