Su Hart

Su Hart (born 3 September 1959) is a British musician, as of 2006 living in Bath, UK, and vocalist of the band Baka Beyond which was formed in 1992, when she and her partner, guitar, mandolin and bouzouki player Martin Cradick (formerly of the group Outback) travelled to south-east Cameroon to live with the Baka tribe (hunter-gatherer Pygmies) in the rainforest and record their music. The band was inspired by the Baka,[1] "one of the oldest and most sensitive musical cultures on earth".[2]

Su Hart
Born (1959-09-03) 3 September 1959
Gateshead, England
GenresEnglish folk, worldbeat
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, songwriter, teacher, painter
Instrument(s)Voice, guitar,
Years active1980–present

The Baka

The encounter with the Baka was to set their lives in a new direction.[3] "It was the amazing bird-like singing or yelli that first attracted me, ... The women get together before the dawn to sing, enchant the animals of the forest and ensure that the men's hunting will be successful. Song and dance are used by the Baka for healing, for rituals, for keeping the community together and also for pure fun"[1][4]

She frequently travels to other countries to pick up musical influences.[5]

Su Hart founded the Walcot State Choir in Bath in 2000 and has directed it since.[6] As well as meeting regularly every Tuesday in term time, the choir has collaborated in cultural exchanges with the Ensemble Vocal Maitres Et Maitresses of Auch, France, and choirs in Kaposvar which is twinned with Bath,[7] and the Brunnenpassage Choir in Vienna.

In 2013, she helped to run the Shakti Sings Choir at the Glastonbury Festival, writing songs to raise ecological awareness.[8][9]

References
  1. "BAKA BEYOND (Portugal & Spain)". virtualWOMEX. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  2. "Baka Beyond". WOMAD. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. "Baka Beyond: a unique musical collaboration". Radio New Zealand. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  4. "Who are the Baka Pygmies? And what are they doing in Gateshead?". BBC Tyne. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  5. "Sue Hart CV". Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  6. "Walcot State Choir - A bit about us ..." walcotstatechoir.com.
  7. "Mayor of Bath". mayorofbath.co.uk.
  8. "Su Hart". suhart.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  9. "Shakti Sings". shaktisings.org.


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