A blues-rock guitarist steeped in the music of North and West Africa and a violinist and percussionist specialising in the Southern Italian folk dance styles of taranta and pizzica: the collaboration between Justin Adams and Mauro Durante is perhaps an unusual one, but it has produced wonderful (and critically acclaimed) results. Together, the duo explore the roots and pathways of their styles, and unite them through the common thread of trance and the use of music to cast out illnesses of the mind and body. That way, the culture of the Salento peninsula is linked with the sacred sounds of the Sufi mystics, the travelling musicians of the Saharan trade routes, and the added spices of dirty, raucous blues.

Justin Adams is renowned for his skills as a collaborator, working closely with Robert Plant, Sinéad O’Connor and Jah Wobble, and forging special relationships with African musicians including Tinariwen, Rachid Taha and Juldeh Camara, among countless others. He is sought-after for his skills as a musician and as a producer; as a learner he gains a deep understanding of the cultures with which he works, and adds his own influences in a sympathetic and musically satisfying way. Mauro Durante is the leader of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, the most successful exponents of folk music from Salento in modern times. Mauro’s parents founded the group in 1975, and he inherited the leadership from his father in 2007 – under his watch, CGS has gone from strength to strength, performing all over the world and collaborating widely.

Their debut album together, Still Moving from 2021, is an intimate set, recorded live in the studio. It was a triumph, winning a Songlines Music Award for ‘Best Fusion’ and leading to three years of worldwide touring and even more intense musical encounters, and now their follow-up album is almost here: Sweet Release is out on 18th October 2024. Justin Adams and Mauro Durante are two of the most innovative explorers in roots music today, and we’re thrilled to bring this exciting meeting of master musicians to The World’s Music at Oxford!

Doors will open at 6:30pm and the performance will start at 7pm.

Free