The Faranas, meaning ‘foreigners’ in pidgin English, are a Swiss Pan African group deeply in love with jazz, funk, Brazilian and African music. The band is formed of a strong foundation of eight Swiss musicians augmented by Mory Samb (Senegal) on vocals and percussion and Baba Salah (Mali) on guitar and vocals – both heavyweights in their respective countries.

The Faranas make for a busy stage, their sound bursting with powerful swirling rhythms full of upfront brass and percussion, plus an unmistakeable Hendrix/Santana-inspired guitar. Mory Samb’s griot, incantational voice is the crowning feature that carries the listener to faraway hot, dusty places where elders share their life lessons and children listen.

The Faranas’ second album is due out at the start of October 2014 on Everest Records, produced and mixed in Berlin by Ben Abarbanel (arranger of the excellent « Love & Death » by the Ghanaian maestro Ebo Taylor).