Swiss organisation invites SA jazz guitarist to record song for collabo album

The organisation seeks to jointly develop innovative pieces of music across cultures and genres.

This will be Beyond Music’s second volume after the release of Same Sky in 2019. The album was recorded by Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein and features 23 musicians from 17 countries.

Haskins told Music In Africa that collaborations would take place despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have all received confirmation that everything is still going ahead as planned,” he said. “We are collaborating online and every musicians records in our own studios. I am already collaborating online with a singer from Ghana, a tabla player from India and a flautist from Japan.

"The name of the album is Songs for the Planet and the name of my song is ‘Earth Cry’. Artists who are collaborating with me on ‘Earth Cry’ are Mark Warburton from the UK and a musician from Cameroon. June is the closing date for collaborations and the album will be finalised in September at La Fabrique Studios in France."

Haskins said he was excited to be part of Beyond Music project.

“I feel honoured and elated to have been chosen and invited. This is what I have been aspiring to. The fact that one is collaborating with musicians from across the world, on the same album, is exhilarating. Knowing that the musical director is multi-Grammy award winner Larry Klein and that the album will be submitted  to the Grammys Awards is out of this world.”

Beyond Music is a non-commercial entity made possible by the Beyond Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in 2007 to support causes that unite world cultures through music.