Monika Kabasele was one of the selected musicians of the CREMM (Common Routes of Euro-Mediterranean Music) project at Babel Sound in 2019. This years she returns to Babel and brings along new musicians who she has been long wanting to play with. Other musicians will also join them during the artist residency.
Monika is a young and talented Greek-Congolese singer and composer. Graduated from the department of Greek modern literature in the University of Athens, and from the department of jazz musicology in Athens and Paris (Paris 8, Vincennes Saint-Denis) she is now studying jazz singing at the conservatory of Paris, where she currently lives.
She has participated as a singer in diverse musical groups in Greece and Europe: Sera Bellos Vocal Quartet, World Trio, Dearly Beloved Nancy, Grécofuturisme, Anamateur and Pros presenting Monique, Dimitris Kalantzis Sextet, Dimitri Vassilakis Sextet, Roger Raspail “La Danse des Tambours”, Stéphane Tsapis “Monday is Monk’s day” etc.
Her collaborations and initiatives led her to sing at important world music stages and festivals in Greece and other European countries, as well as in Africa.
She has been influenced by jazz traditional singing such as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzerald, Betty Carter, such as contemporary singing: Jazzmeia Horn, Cecil Mclorrin Salvant, Kurt Elling and world music artists like Eleni Tsaligopoulou (greek rebetiko music), Franco (rumba congolese music), Sara Tavares, Sona Jobarteh, Richard Bona etc.
Monika Kabesele – voice
Areti Koltsida – guitar
Lisa Murcia – violin
Wadie Naim – percussion and drums
and other musicians