We are very pleased and proud to announce that Seckou’s album Miro has gone straight to No1 in the world music charts. For more information go to http://www.wmce.de/?chartUrlMonth=2&chartUrlYear=2013

Andy Morgan has posted a new review of the latest gig from Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch performing together at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff.

Read the complete article here.

This wasn’t so much of a grand opening as a work in progress preview before an audience of warmth-seeking guinea pigs. The coldest March in fifty years brought them to The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff for a night of a thousand and one strings. After the last had been plucked, they disappeared into the slate grey gloom halo’d by what connoisseurs of the British breakfast might call a “Ready Brek” glow.

Apart from a brief first attempt a few years ago involving the great Toumani Diabate, Catrin Finch and Seckou Keita had only been working on their mission to marry the classical harp and the West African kora in total, on an off, for less than a week. This was hard to tell at times given the instinctive intertwining of notes that cascaded up the aisles, eddied round the rafters and poured into the ears of the magnetized audience. Discerning precisely whose flurried fingers were responsible for which cascade often proved fruitless.

Astar are very proud to congratulate Seckou Keita on being nominated in the World Traditional Song Category for “Hino” in The 12th Annual Independent Music Awards..
The Judge-determined IMA Winners will be announced in May.
In addition to industry-determined Winners, fans from around the world have until Friday, July 19, 2013 to cast their votes at The IMA Vox Pop Jukebox to determine the fan-selected IMA Winners. So please visit http://www.independentmusicawards.com/imanominee/12th/Song/World-Traditional and register your vote!register your vote!