Lisettes Band "Siawaloma"

So, what is Siawaloma? Lisette Spinnler first came across the term during a visit to Burkina Faso. It is a local word that means community - a fitting name for the quintet she put together in 2004 with Colin Vallon, Alex Hendriksen, Patrice Moret and Michi Stulz. From the collective a musical community was born. Not only did Burkina Faso provide inspiration for her new band, but it would have a lasting influence on her music.

There is no denying that the singer is the band’s front person, performing her own original scats, exuberantly discovering new languages, personifying the noise of a primeval forest, and riding along on a vocal and physical rollercoaster. However, she is also only one of five incredibly gifted and sensitive musicians, whose love and passion for their craft is audible in their joint improvisations and palpable to anyone who has seen them perform live. Whether playing a song that has already been written or naturally extemporising, these four musicians are much more than a mere backing band for the lead vocalist. All five are given equal billing, all five encapsulating and developing a shared idea, as they carry the public along with them on their shared journey.

Siawaloma has moved and enthralled the many home and overseas audiences they have played to. A thoroughly modern, occasionally witty, and frequently surprising quintet who embrace change with gusto, Siawaloma are an unmistakable and original presence on the contemporary jazz scene.

Lisette Spinnler, vocals
Colin Vallon, piano
Alex Hendriksen, sax, flute
Patrice Moret, bass
Michi Stulz, drums, percussion