Music on Board

We find music an important part of life.

We are not that great musicians ourselves, amateurish would be the word, but we enjoy having a musical crew and having people play regularly on board.

Over the years we’ve accumulated quite the collection and there are several instruments on board:

  • 2 piano accordions (unfortunately both are unplayable because utterly out of tune as of this writing),
  • 1 English concertina
  • 2 classic guitars
  • 2 folk guitars
  • 1 electric violin
  • 2 ukuleles
  • 2 melodicas
  • 2 big djembes
  • and bongos and a bunch of noise makers, rain stick, tambourine, guiro, etc, so that even the musically challenged can participate

Except for one of Emma’s personal guitars and my antique and very valuable concertina, all the instruments are free to use by anybody. Crew members can take along their instruments too, although keep in mind you will have to travel with them and that the marine environment is harsh.

We also have a stereo system of course, and before people were listening to all their music online, almost everybody had some mp3s stored, and so over the years we have stolen what we consider a fairly good selection that we continue to play on our (very) old school ipods.

There is a rough list below with most of our old favorites. Crew members are more than welcome to bring more.

Here goes the classic Karaka music selection :

There is a lot of world music, African, Latino, gypsy, a big selection of french music, jazz and blues, rock, folk and a massive amount of reggae. You can note there is no emphasis on pop, hip hop, heavy metal, dance or techno, that’s because those are not really our style, so if that’s yours, don’t forget to bring earphones for private listening.

Ali farka Toure
Amadou et Mariam
Antilabas afrobeat orchestra
Bonga
Boubacar Traore
Danyel Waro
Etoile de dakar
Fela Kuti
Gigi
Gnawa diffusion
Habib Koite
Kossam Ramzy
Kaouding Cissoko
Orchestra Baobab
Toumani Diabate

Alale
Beirut
Ben Harper
Cat empire
Cat Stevens
Devendra Banhart
Decemberists
Dire Straits
Eddie Vedder
Fionn Regan
Flap!
Mason Jennings
Mojo Juju
Moriarty
Mumford and sons
Shooglenifty
Ye banished pirateers
Jack Johnson
Jimi Hendrix
Leonard Cohen
Portishead
Johnny Cash
Dave Brubeck
JJ Cale
Louis Armstrong
Miles Davis
Pink Martini
Ray Charles
The Oscar Peterson trio
Tom Waits
Little Walter
Albert King
Muddy Waters
John Lee Hooker
BB King
James Brown

As de trefle
Babylon circus
Benabar
Bobby Lapointe
Boris Vian
Charles Aznavour
Debout sur le zinc
Edith Piaf
Georges Brassens
Jacques Brel
Jamait
Joe Staline
Karpatt
La petite companie
La rue ketanou
La tordue
La varda
Leo Ferre
Les amis de ta femme
Les blaireaux
Les blerots de RAVEL
Les cowboys fringants
Les croquants
Les hurlements de leo
Les negresses vertes
Les ogres de barback
Les tit’nassels
Les trapettistes
Les VRP
Louise attaque
Mano Solo
Massilia sound system
Noir desir
Prisca
Ramses
Renaud
Sabayo
Sanseverino
Serge Gainsbourg
Tetes raides
Tryo
Yann Tiersen
Zoufris maracas

Buena Vista Social Club
Cesaria Evora
Gotan project
Hector Lavoe
Ibrahim Ferrer
La mano negra
Manu Chao
Ojos de brujo
Paco de lucia
Ray Barretto
Stan Getz

Birelli Lagrene
Boban Markovic
Bratsch
Goran Bregovic
Fanfare Ciocarlia
Gadjo dilo
La fanfare du belgistan
Latcho drom
Santa Macairo orkestar
Taraf de haidouks
Thierry Robin
Trio Rosenberg
Andres Segovia
Angelo Debarre
Django Reinhardt
Gogol Bordello

La ruda salska
Sergent garcia
Ska P

St Germain

Augustus Pablo
Baobab
Bob Marley And The wailers
Buju Banton
Burning spears
Chakademus and the pliers
Delroy Wilson
Desmond Dekker
Ernest Ranglin
Ethiopians
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Gladiators
Glenn Washington
Gregory Isaacs
Groundation
Israel vibration
Jimmy Cliff
John Holt
Lee Perry
Les 100 grammes de tete
Max Romeo and the Upsetters
Peter tosh
Rageous Gratoons
Raspigaous
Reggae World
Sinsemilia
Skan
Skatalites
Stephen Marley
Tiken Jah Fakoly
Toots and the maytals

And much more, including a massive selection of the excellent Putumayo label.