The Nile Project: Jinja review – easygoing and accessible African fusion

The Nile Project is an intriguing collective of musicians from the countries along the river and its tributaries, from Egypt down to Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi. They get together to explore musical connections, give workshops and concerts, and in the process have become something of a model for African cooperation on issues such as water conflicts. They have also created an accessible African fusion style, as they show with their first studio album. There’s an easygoing, bluesy edge to many of the songs, along with melodies that won’t startle western audiences, and there’s some impressive singing and instrumental work. The best track, Tenseo, is a 12-minute workout that matches Ethio-jazz saxophone and vocals against Egyptian oud improvisation, while elsewhere there are collaborations involving the Rwandan enanga (a plucked zither), Ethiopian vocals and Egyptian drums, and rousing solos on the ikembe (thumb piano) or Ugandan adungu (harp).