The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal kicks off with a major debut featuring one of its local artists. Rising star and Montrealer Malika Tirolien, formerly from the French Caribbean, is the frontwoman for Michael League's new project Bokanté, which is attracting a lot of buzz as of late. In this Checkout podcast, Tirolien talks about Strange Circles, the band's recording debut, and how League discovered her while he was on tour with his primary band Snarky Puppy.
Bokanté draws influences far and wide: from the Mississippi Delta, to the island of Guadeloupe, even the deserts of West Africa. This international crew -- eight musicians across four continents -- gather for a modern exploration of the Blues, or maybe what it should sound like in a globalized environment, while also addressing some of the world's complex social issues. So naturally the band's name Bokanté reference's all of these ideas, which translates as "exchange" in Creole, Tirolien's native language. Bokanté performs at Montreal's Club Soda Thursday, June 29th.
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Assistant Producer: Molly Fichter
