Search - Papa Noel, Adan Pedroso :: Mosala Makasi

Father Christmas--The World's Greatest Folk Guitarist

barry | Yountville, US, Canada | 04/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an extraordinarily lovely live recording of the unlikely pairing of Adan Pedroso, a young Cuban guitarist, singer, song writer, and Papa Noel, the greatest of currently living popular guitarists from the Congo. Noel, who spent years as a backup to the legendary Franco Luambo, has performed in recent years with Sam Mangwana, The Four Stars, and Mose Fan Fan, not to mention his breakthrough international collaboration with Banda Cubana Son de Papi Oviedo. Currently Noel serves as the lead guitarist of Congolese Rumba band, Kekele.
This recording brings Noel and Pedroso together at the 2000 Bath International Guitar Festival in one long and hauntingly moving acoustic set that showcases Pedroso's terrific lyricism and one piece of virtuoso guitar after another, as Noel displays his mastery of just about every major folk genre one can think of. From his Congo-Cuban tinged "Mbonge" and "Soukous Son" to Pedro's achingly lovely "Corazon," song after song spills into the listener's ears like a waterfall of honey. I've played this for many, many friends with a wide variety of musical tastes, and the response has been unanimous--Papa Noel is the world's greatest folk guitarist."