Zap Mama, the brainchild of Zaire-born and Belgium-raised vocalist Marie Daulne, began in 1990 as an all-female a-cappella group but has since embraced percussion and limited instrumentation. The result is an inspired musical journey through sounds ancient and modern, Western and exotic. A true cross-cultural pollination, Zap Mama’s sound draws upon the syncopated undulations of African melodies and, more recently, the beats of American soul. Zapa Mama received a Grammy nomination for its first album, Adventures in Afropea, but Daulne had only just begun to strut her stuff. In 2004, she radically expanded Zap Mama’s already broad musical palette with Ancestry in Progress, which was recorded with members of the Roots and featured contributions from Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli and Common. Three years later, Zap Mama released the beautifully intimate Supermoon, which Daulne described as a celebration of individuality over artificiality. This spring, Zap Mama returned with the brilliant ReCreation, featuring a Brazilian vibe, guests like G. Love, Bilal and actor Vincent Cassel, and Daulne’s message about the power of self-healing through positive energy — like music.
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