When The Dust Settles Balimaya Project

• 1For Aziz04:48
• 2Anka Tulon04:18
• 3A Prayer For Our Parents06:38
• 4Bé Mankan03:36
• 5Red Oil / Beyond Kingdom Come04:10
• 6When The Dust Settles03:31
• 7There's Nothing Left For Us Here06:26
• 8Suley's Ablution04:42
• 9Golo Kan02:06
• 10Seasons of Baraka06:31
• Total Runtime46:46

Info for When The Dust Settles

Powerhouse Mandé jazz ensemble Balimaya Project release their second album When The Dust Settles released by New Soil in partnership with Jazz re:freshed.

A dynamic maturation of the group's thrilling big band sound, When The Dust Settles is a personal and cathartic expression of grief, rage, love and joy. Fusing West African rhythmic tradition with the energy of London's jazz continuum, the album celebrates the restorative power of Black male brotherhood among diaspora communities in London. Led by composer/arranger and UK-based Djembe player Yahael Camara Onono, Balimaya Project have established themselves as one of the most exciting and forward-thinking ensembles in Britain.

Enlisting guest vocalists Afronaut Zu, Obongjayar and Fassara Sacko across ten groove-laden and punchily percussive tracks, each song on When The Dust Settles engages intentionally with the significance of folkloric rhythms to illuminate themes that include the death of Camara Onono's older brother, losing a child, becoming a father, migration, survival and a search for truth. As Camara Onono describes: "One thing that's really linking us is that concept of family and the bonds are getting stronger every time ... It was important to me to go deeper and address not just tradition and culture, but also address emotion."

Balimaya Project

Balimaya Project
was formed in 2019 by percussionist Yahael Camara Onono, a second generation Londoner whose rich West African musical heritage, coupled with his musical experiences in the UK, inspired him to bridge the gap between the diaspora and West Africa.

The word Balimaya is a word from the Maninka language that means the essence of kinship. In Mande society, the ideology of kinship is engrained in the moral fabric of its people. Family ties aren’t just limited to blood relations. The concept of extended family created by marriage, cousinage, shared history within ethnicities and deeds done for one another is complex, but shared and adhered to with great pride. This extended family model is what inspires Balimaya’s repertoire and mission.

This group is built on the foundation of forging musical and cultural ties, from a place of integrity, authenticity and inspiration. Balimaya uses the repertoire of the Mande peoples of Senegal and Mali as the bridge to bring the folkloric West African music, together with Jazz and the sounds of Black London, to create something different.

Yahael was born in North West London to Nigerian and Senegalese parents. Despite being born in the UK and growing up in inner city London for most of his life, he had an affinity for his folkloric music from a very young age. He received his first talking drum at the age of 6 from his grandfather, and later started playing the djembe at the age of 8. Though he grew up in Harlesden, he was given the gift of an open mind through travel at an early age.

Balimaya is an accurate expression of how Yahael feels and expresses his musical journey. There is a story and meaning behind every piece, and homage is paid to his cultural roots throughout the music. In this journey, he has endeavoured to make space within the folklore to add, enrich and give new depth to the music, and to include the voices of the many communities that have guided him along the way.

This album contains no booklet.