NOTICE: Seats will allocated on a first come first served basis. After the first 130 tickets are booked remaining tickets will be sold on a standing only basis, but you will be able to sit on the floor. Please email enquiries to music (at) nottinghamcontemporary(dot)org

“Brings more sound from an acoustic guitar than you’ve ever dreamed of“ - The independent

“Unique, unpredictable” – Sunday Times

Award-winning Italian guitar virtuoso Antonio Forcione - joins forces with the dynamic Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale to form an amazing duo of passionate original world class music!

Fans of Antonio’s will relish the classic guitar compositions that have made him world renowned, but to hear the soul-jazz and flamenco guitar melodies masterfully blended with Adriano’s African and Latin rhythms is a stirring and passionate experience…

Hailed as the ’Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar’, Antonio Forcion is considered one of the most charismatic and inventive performers to come out of Europe in recent years. He breaks the mould of most conventional, popular guitar sounds be it in the field of jazz, Spanish, African, Italian,  Brazilian or improvised music. International tours have brought high critical acclaim from as far as Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Africa, Caribbean, Philippines, Indonesia, Jamaica, USA and all over Europe.

‘…Forcione has a freedom of expression that should never be stifled by a label; so go in to the record store and look under  Jazz world music , acoustic music ….or maybe just ‘genius’. – The Observer

ADRIANO ADEWALE first came to live in London in 2000 and has played with world class artists such as Zoe Rahman, Andy Sheppard, Tui Moreno Seu Jorge to name but a few. Other great collaborators he has worked with include: Jonny Phillips, Jonathan Preiss, Seb Rochford, Monica Vasconcelos, Modeste Hughes, Gustavo Marques, Steve Lodder and Ronu Majumdar. Working in partnerships with artists, he created sound tracks for: fine artist Monica de Miranda, the English dance company Stacked Wonky and a percussion based sound track for an animation movie based on the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. He also shared the stage with Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), Tcheka (Cape Verde) and opened for Cesaria Evora, Airton Moreira and Flora Purim, Jools Holland, Seu Jorge, and Boubacar Traore.

Delicate, dynamic and controlled, the compositions and arrangements are inspired, showcasing a mind-boggling variety of styles and form. He’s an all plucking, all strumming, all clicking, tapping, slapping virtuoso of world jazz – and comes highly recommended.” **** The List

Sura Susso & Pete Bernard

Virtuoso kora player Sura Susso  joins the remarkable pianist Pete Bernard for a captivating duo performance, showcasing material from their forthcoming album. This collaboration intertwines their culturally distinct musical visions into a rousing hybrid.

Sura Susso’s music possesses the strength of  griot traditional foundation, laced with his striking experimental talent, which has afforded him a repertoire of great flexibility. Having studied the kora since the age of 4, he is known to enthrall his audience with the entrancing quality of his music and infectious rhythms.  His debut album ‘Sila Kang’ released this summer, featuring multi-instrumentalist Pete Bernard as guest artist, has received critical acclaim in the arenas of both classical and world music.

‘Sila Kang is a beautiful, quietly experimental album brimming over with imagination and delivered with virtuosic authority that announces a startling new talent’ (Rock & Reel, July & Aug 2011)

Pete Bernard comes from a family of musicians and music lovers, and has studied classical and jazz piano from an early age.  A degree at Dartington College of Arts started a love affair of a new kind – a deep appreciation for music from all corners of the globe, but particularly from West Africa.  With the cascading flourishes, trills and harmonic idiosyncrasies of the Kora as well as his work with West African artists, Pete has been discovering a new world of expression on the piano.  The exciting possibilities presented by two instruments with such vast palettes of sound and the profound musical connection he has found with Sura Susso has led to an exciting new phase of boundless creativity.

In this stunning new project encompassing traditional songs and original compositions, Sura Susso’s ‘exquisite kora playing’ weaves with Pete Josef’s engaging piano keys in a joint endeavour for musical exploration resulting in overwhelming intensity, insight and grace.