What Heat

The word Bokanté means 'exchange' in Guadeloupean Creole, the language of vocalist Malika Tirolien's childhood island. Highly appropriate for a group of musicians from 5 countries (and 4 continents) whose cultural and musical identities converge to create music that traces the blues from its roots in Africa and the Arab World, throughout the diaspora, and into a modern context. Founder Michael League, from Snarky Puppy, describes the sound of multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multigenerational

Bokanté as a 'weird combination of West African music, Delta blues, Led Zeppelin and Caribbean kaladja with lyrics in English, Creole and French'. Consisting of respected bandleaders and sidemen who have achieved great success in their own individual paths (with Paul Simon, Karl Denson, Vasen, Sting, Snarky Puppy, Yo-Yo Ma a.o.), each musician's personality shines through songs that speak to the challenges and strengths of the complex socio-political environment in which we live. As a lyricist, Tirolien paints beautiful imagery and tells stories that tackle issues head on, exploring the reality of this very important - and potentially dangerous - moment in time, celebrating who we are and what we have in spite of everything, with hope (through action) for a better day. On the album "What Heat" Bokanté have worked with Jules Buckley and the Metropole Orkest. Michael League first worked with the orchestra on the Snarky Puppy album "Sylva". "This is the first album we've made together since "Sylva", and I believe it to be every bit as adventurous. The Metropole is a rarity in that it has the versatility and skill set to play across a wide variety of modern music styles with deep understanding. It opens possibilities as an arranger that would not be available with other orchestras. Jules and I did our best to take full advantage of those possibilities in every way we could".