Bentley's Bandstand
Outside the grounds of the zoological garden in Kinshasa, Congo live a group of paraplegic street musicians. They survive by their wits and wisdom, and some play homemade instruments and ride on tricycles because they cannot walk. Part of their name, Benda Bilili, means look beyond appearances, or literally: put forward what is hidden. Coming together as a group, they have achieved the near miraculous in creating a sound that goes far past music. The songs travel into a world where hopes are enough to live on, and every day involves challenges beyond what most of us could ever imagine. Because of those special circumstances, Staff Benda Bilili present a chance to let ourselves be taken away by what we hear. Their African rhythms join the breezy joy of American rhythm & blues, jagged stabs of black funk and even elements of music from Cuba, Jamaica and other island enclaves. In the end, though, influences are unimportant, because what this absolutely unique band creates is the power of belief, sharing the news of what life is like on the streets for those who are utterly without, and pointing to a better way for themselves and their brethren. Once you hear Tres Tres Fort you will not forget it, not because of an overwhelming power or even a new style, but rather because the sense that these men have been able to turn hardship into happiness. When that happens, anything is possible, and what seem like shortcomings on the surface turn into huge possibilities for the human heart to show what it is really capable of. And what we find these four singer/guitarists and their young rhythm section can do is take the music of the spheres, bring it down to earth and send it straight to the center of our souls. Nothing else is needed.
