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Awale Jant Band's album Yewoulen Out on 27th March 2020 on Arc Music. Available Here

'A truly magical and uplifting cross-cultural collaboration, bringing together Afro-Latin, Funk and Soul elements with a Senegalese twist. The wonderful voice of Biram Seck and Thibaut Remy's compositions make for an unmissable combo. Must See!' Tim Garcia (Jazz FM/Musica Macondo)

"Bringing a distinctive eastern take on Afrobeat" Lopa Kothari, BBC Radio 3

"Awalé are doing something different with Afrobeat and I do like it." The late Charlie Gillett, BBC Radio

YEWOULEN means 'Wake up' in Wolof with songs written by Senegalese singer Biram Seck and engineered and mixed by band leader, French guitarist Thibaut Remy. Thibaut's album engineering credits include assistant engineer on The Turbans last self-titled album where he worked alongside Jerry Boys from the world famous Buena Vista series and production wizard of all things pan-African, Tom Excell.

YEWOULEN is a call for people to and wake up from their usual ways, to wake up to what unites them, to look at how they can work together as opposed to their differences. This is reflected in in the title track 'Yewoulen' with its mixed elements of jazz improvisation with sabar drummings (Senegalese drum).

Singer Biram Seck is from Dakar, the son of a gawlo (story-teller). Biram's father was a master of the traditional West African guitar/banjo, the xalam, and Biram inherited his ability to tell stories from an early age. As Biram says of the power of storytelling and music,

"I love music because it is a means of communicating ideas to broaden minds and build an integrated world... a world of peace!"

Songs of peace and unity feature on YEWOULEN sung in Wolof by Biram Seck. Electrifying rhythmic explorations between drums and Senegalese sabar drums while the horn section travels from Ethiojazz to Fania All Stars seamlessly.

The name Awale Jant Band is a combination of Biram Seck's Jant Band and Thibaut Remy's London group Awale - a collective of African, French, British and Senegalese musicians performing for the last 10 years in London. Awale Jant Band's name means to 'let the sun pass through'. YEWOULEN follows on from Awale's debut album JUST HAVE TO GROW, co-produced by Nick Page whose credits include Jah Wobble and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. YEWOULEN is released internationally through ARC Music on Friday, March 27th, 2020. The album will be launched at The CLF Art Café, London, Friday 27th March.

Track Listing: YEWOULEN/AWALE JANT BAND/ARC Music

SOPE3:49
DOMI ADAMA 6:42
CUBALKAFRO 6:31
JULES 5:31
AMANDINE 4:35
JUST BE FREE 2:53
KASSAK 3:36
JEUNESSE 4:25
YEWOULEN 6:43

Personnel on Yewoulen:

Biram Seck - vocalist

Thibaut Remy - guitar

Kevin Toublant - bass

Michael Idowu - bass
Kaw Secka - sabar drums (traditional Senegalese drums)
John Martin - saxophone
Ben Brown - drums
Laurence Wilkins - trumpet
Medoune Ndiaye - sabar drums

Biram Seck - vocalist, sings in Wolof, French and English.

Thibaut Remy - French guitarist, composer and record producer based in London. He has recently co-produced The Turbans' latest record out on Six Degrees Records.

Kevin Toublant - bass, has played with a broad range of artists: Róisín Murphy, Earl Thomas, Wonderboy, Doigt Droit, The Dowtown Dukes, Republik, Human F.E.A.X, Abbeon Fat Track.

Kaw Secka - sabar drums, gawlo (griot) from Senegal and Gambia, now in London via Sweden. He also plays in Fofoulah.

John Martin - saxophone, a member of the critically acclaimed contemporary jazz folk septet Metamorphic and the Dr Das Dubnoiz Coalition, the side project of Dr Das, the bass player and founding member of the Asian Dub Foundation.

Ben Brown - drums. Established himself as a sought-after drummer, for his rock solid groove, subtle touch and reactivity. Check out his band Waaju!

Laurence Wilkins - trumpet, part of the new London jazz scene making waves with his project Zeñel.

Medoune Ndiaye - Senegalese percussionist has played with Thione Seck and Youssou N'dour .

Awalé’s debut album “ Just Have To Grow” was co-produced by Nick Page (Dub Colossus) and released in 2012.

Thibaut Remy: guitar/composition/Lyrics/production/bvs

Badiaa Bouhrizi El Werghi : Voice/Lyrics

Oreste Noda : Cpngas, percussions

Ben Reynolds : Drums

Will Collier : Bass

Ben Somers : Saxophones

Joe Auckland : Trumpet

Jozef Berk : Percussions

special guests Morski, Gareth Lockrane, Vince Vella.

“Bringing a distinctive eastern take on afrobeat.” – Lopa Kothari (World

on 3, BBC3).

“Awalé are doing something different with afrobeat and I do like it.” -

The late Charlie Gillett (Radio DJ, Broadcaster).

AWALÉ – London-based band Awalé returns with a new sound, Senegalese soul. Biram Seck’s soaring voice evokes messages of love and peace, underpinned by heavenly poly-rhythm groove explorations. Intense and spiritual Sabar Senegalese percussion and Afro-Latin drums conversations, weaving intricate guitar patterns and horn lines with catchy bass riffs. Like a spinning kaleidoscope of sounds, each tune travels on a varied musical journey, from afrobeat to soul, deep Afro-jazz to Latin. Awalé is on a mission to experience happiness together in these fractured times.

‘A truly magical and uplifting cross-cultural collaboration, bringing together Afro-latin, funk and soul elements with a Senegalese twist. The wonderful voice of Biram Seck and Thibaut Remy’s compositions make for an unmissable combo. Must See!’ - Tim Garcia (Jazz FM/Musica Macondo)

‘Most Impressive, echoes a lot of greats like Orchestra Baobab and Youssou N’Dour but with very much it’s own sound’ - Jamie Renton (DJ, fROOTS)

"I love music because it is a means of communicating ideas to broaden minds and build an integrated world... a world of peace.” Says Awale Jant Band singer Birame Seck.

Senegalese singer and songwriter Seck founded Awale Jant Band with French guitarist and producer Thibaut Remy in London on 2017.

Seck is the son of a Gawlo (storyteller) and grandson of a master xalam (guitar/banjo) player.

Thibaut is a self taught musician influenced by blues, jazz and african guitar styles. Relying primarily on feeling, he says, “When I heard Birame singing it reminded me of an American soul singer, though he is a Senegalese soul singer… We’d like people to feel our music joining the dots between cultures.” 

The name Awale Jant Band is a combination of Birame Seck’s Jant Band and Thibaut Remy’s London group Awale - a collective of African, French, British and Senegalese musicians performing for the last 10 years in London. In Wolof, it means “Let the sun pass through”. And literally this is their mission, to uplift people with their music.

They are very excited to be bringing new music out, to be released in 2025. To this effect, they have an exciting collaboration with Senegalese musicians bassist El Hadj Ndire, pianist Ibou Tall, drummers Seydou Kienous from Ivory Coast, Badou Ndiaye (Cheikh Lo) and percussionist Medoune Ndiaye (Thionne Seck). The music is Senegalese soul music, Funk, Latin Jazz, Afrobeat, Mbalax and Blues.

Imagine Youssou N’dour, Fela Kuti and then some desert blues.

To achieve this live and on record, they have a tight band of world class musicians:

Michael Idowu on bass from Nigeria.

Kaw Secka, master percussionist from Gambia (Fofoulah).

Ben Brown on drums (Mulatu Astatke, Waaju).

John Martin on tenor saxophone.

George Jefford on trumpet.

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