RAY LEMA ^CONGO

Ray Lema tweaks notes in the skies of the Congo. From Belgium. From France. From Cuba or Sweden. The only thing we know is that when they get to the piano or incorporate themselves into their voice, the spirits settle down. The sound was what led the 76-year-old composer and arranger, known as one of the most innovative and creative artists of current African music, to more distant places than the seminar he longed to attend when he was a child. He is an ethnomusicologist and was director of the National Ballet of Zaire. He is the author of soundtracks for cinema, TV series, and theater. He worked with Stewart Copeland, the drummer for The Police. He was awarded the Django d’Or in October 2003, and the Charles Cros Grand Prix de la Musique in 2013. 43 years ago, Lema conquered the world. He will land on the MIMO Porto with hiss ethereal mix of classical music, jazz and traditional sub-Saharan rhythms, in a concert in honor of Franco Luambo, the father of Congolese rumba, declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.