Mama Funny Day

Description

Sarazino's third album on Cumbancha, Mama Funny Day, blends elements of Latin reggae, African hip-hop and pan-global pop to create a universally appealing sound. Originally from Algeria, raised in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Spain, Switzerland and Montreal, and based for many years now in Ecuador, Sarazino is a quintessential globetrotter in his life and music.

He's also a consummate cross-cultural collaborator, and Mama Funny Day features guest appearances by Liliana Saumet of Colombian supergroup Bomba Estereo, reggae legend Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals fame, South African singer Zolani Mahola of Freshlyground (best known for their collaboration with Shakira on the official 2010 World Cup theme song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"), rising Argentinian star Sol Pereyra and many others.

One standout track on Mama Funny Day is "Frente Latina", which calls for freedom of the press and the importance of information in an open and democratic society. The song was produced in partnership with WikiLeaks and features the voice of that organization's controversial leader Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for over six years. The song also features singer Liliana Saumet of Bomba Estereo, one of Colombia's best-known bands on the international scene.

The album's first single, "Is There A Place", is accompanied by an epic video blending images from Cape Town, South Africa and Quito, Ecuador. (Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/TfYK-KqFu2E) Sung in English and Spanish, lead vocal duties are shared by Sarazino and Zolani Mahola, whose group Freshlyground is one of South Africa's most iconic bands.Sarazino is the brainchild of Lamine Fellah, a musician, songwriter and producer whose nomadic life is reflected in the multicultural influences in his songs. Fellah is a true child of a globalized world and Sarazino's music draws on a wide range of styles to create an upbeat celebration of the diverse world we all share.

Fellah was born in Constantine, Algeria, on March 3, 1970. His father was a career diplomat whose postings brought the family to live in Spain and Switzerland, as well as the African countries of Burundi and Burkina Faso. While living in Africa, the young Fellah was exposed to many different varieties of West African music styles as well as reggae, which was very popular in Africa at the time. At an early age, Fellah was introduced to Arab-Andalusian music and Spanish flamenco by his mother and grew up listening to popular French music.

In 1984, when he was 14 years old, Fellah bought his first drum set and soon became interested in writing his own music. Fellah was living in Burkina Faso at the time, and the fertile musical environment inspired him to form a band with some local friends. In 1988, Fellah moved to Canada to get his degree in political science and economics at the University of Montreal. His true passion, however, remained with music. Montreal's active nightclub and festival scene gave him plenty of opportunities to explore new sounds.

In 1993, tragedy befell Fellah's family when Islamic radicals in Algeria assassinated his father and forced the rest of his family into a life of exile from their homeland. This intensely personal confrontation with fundamentalism and violence had a great impact on Fellah's music, which emphasizes the need for personal and political freedom while encouraging people to love their neighbors and celebrate our commonalities as well as our differences.

On a trip to Ecuador in 1996, Fellah fell in love with Latin America and Latin music. He decided to move to Quito, where he now has an active and successful music production business.

Sarazino's first album for Cumbancha, Ya Foy! (which means "no problem" in the Dioula language of West Africa), was released in 2009 and presented a musical melting pot of roots reggae and Latin grooves with Arabic and West African flavors spicing up the mix.

The album received excellent reviews, with the Boston Herald calling it "Relentlessly upbeat. Totally cool" and Sarazino toured North America for the first time in the summer of 2010, opening for African superstar Angélique Kidjo at San Francisco's prestigious Stern Grove and thrilling audiences in Montreal, New York, Los Angeles and more.

For his second Cumbancha album, Everyday Salama, Sarazino invited an exciting selection of special guests from Jamaica, Nigeria, Brazil, Peru, the US, Sierra Leone and more. Sarazino is anything if not prolific, and with a total of 15 songs, Mama Funny Day offers a satisfying collection of new material from this appealing, boundary-crossing artist.