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 Afro Junction in OsloFeaturing Ras Nas and Knut Reiersrud Guitar Strings Collide in Oslo, Norway The city of Oslo, Norway, has just experienced the clash of strings between two of Oslo's most profiled guitarists, Ras Nas a.k.a Nasibu Mwanukuzi and Knut Reirersrud. The concert dubbed Afro Junction in Oslo, took place at Skuret Kulturpub in Oslo, on 22nd November. Earlier on we met Knut and Nasibu at Cafe Sara in Oslo and we asked them to brief us about their musical venture. This was before the concert. "Afro Junction will be a hot night where blues meets afro jazz, soukous is mixed with rock, where the sounds of the masters are reincarnated and the encroaching cold winter weather is kept at bay on the dance floor..." said Ras Nas.  Who is Ras Nas Ras Nas is a Tanzanian poet, writer, musician and producer. He has lived in Oslo since 1984 and during this period has actively taken part in forming world music scene in Norway. From conducting workshops to touring with the band as well as taking part in festivals Ras Nas has evolved to be one of the best live acts in Scandinavia. As a guitarist, Nasibu has the touch of African jazz that brings to life memories of ledgenday Dr. Nico of African Fiesta as well as the Grandmaster Franco Luambo Makiadi of the TP OK Jazz. "I have also been influenced by Mbaraka Mwinshehe of Morogoro Jazz, the inventor of the deadly Likembe Mahoka style", says Nasibu. As a singer and performer, Ras Nas merges elements of Roots Reggae and Afro (closer to Ndombolo and Soukous), the poetry is in dub tradition and his song lyrics are both in Swahili (the most spoken African language) and English. Among his merits is performing for Nelson Mandela in Oslo and sharing the stage with Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Van "The Man" Morrison at the Norwegian Woods Festival, also in Oslo. Ras Nas has also warmed up a number of reggae greats like Junior Delgado, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Eek a Mouse and Ijah Man Levi, to name but a few. Some of his songs are on international compilations. The track "Trouble in A Dub" has reached no.2 at MP3.com reggae charts. His debut CD "Cut You Loose" has received airplay in radio stations in USA, Canada, Europe and Africa. Ras Nas'video of "Redemption Song- Tribute to Bob Marley" done together with Sampeace Brown Band has been on heavy rotation on ZTV, a Scandinavian music channel and is currently being aired on ITV in Tanzania. Who is Knut Reiersrud Knut Reiersrud is a revered and respected guitarist in Norway. His ability to play is unquestionable as witnessed by his massive output and a history that is filled with a vertical thread pointing towards the highest achievement in musical excellence. Check out this: Knut is a man who always travels around with eight guitars because they have been tuned differently according to where the music comes from! At twelve he and his brother bought themselves guitars after seeing Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters on TV. Six years later he in fact played with Buddy Guy and Otis Rush after the two heard him in Norway and invited him to Chicago. In the course of a career that spans more than two decades, he has done more than 5000 gigs as well as produced well over 100 records of which he has released five under his own name. He is a master of ten different string instruments. As well as touring extensively he has also been and still is a favourite studio musician. Knut Reiersrud has worked with renown blues masters. He is flexible and ready to explore. This has led him to be an authority even on older traditional music. He also co-hosts a number of radio programmes on the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. NRK. Among his latest releases is "Sweet Showers of Rain" which has received good reviews. Ras Nas appeared with Larry Skogheim on Bass,Charles Mena on Drums, Ketil Kielland Lund, Keyboards, the Nigerian saxophonist Denis "Toneo" Blesdin, and Stig Rolfsen, Guitar. Afro Junction in Oslo, Norway, is a new concept; a watershed, a dawn of a new era in the history of music in Norway. Under its banner more concerts and happenings are being planned. So stay tuned for another Afro Junction! Sponsors: Samspill (International Network of Musicians) Norwegian Cultural Council Kongoi Productions Ras Nas pic by Ashley Shiri of Tellus Radio. Comments (0)
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