Omar Ka meets Anton Goudsmit live at Dizzy Rotterdam 2021

BIOGRAPHY
“Life is an experience, life is research. The only real university is the University of Life.”
Omar Ka, Soruuna (2004)

Roots
The Fulani are the most widespread of all West African peoples. Traditionally cattle herding nomads, Fulani communities have settled in Cameroon, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Senegal and Nigeria. Wherever they went, they developed distinctive cultural practices and musical styles.
Omar Ka was born in 1973 in Senegal, though his family roots lie in Niger. His sensitive vocals and intricate guitar melodies tell instantly of his Nigerian ancestry, while mbalax, reggae and funk beats ground his music firmly in the bustling streets of Dakar.
Band
The Fula Band – a group of friends and brothers- came together in 1991 to create their unique brand of Fula music. After four years of intense production and busy touring schedules around West Africa, Omar Ka headed for Europe in 1996 to prepare the road to international success.
It took another three years before the band embarked on their first European tour. Three years during which Omar collaborated with a variety of Dutch musicians and featured on various
recordings. In 1997 Omar Ka released his first album, “H.O.W” together with Willem Cramer and Hanyo van Oosterom. Meanwhile, his band members continued their individual projects in Senegal.

Anton Goudsmit
Goudsmit graduated summa cum laude from the Amsterdam Conservatory in 1994. He then performs in Eric Vloeimans' quartet. He has also been part of the New Cool Collective for many years since its foundation in 1991. Over the years Anton Goudsmit has played in various groups and performed with many different artists. He is active in different styles of music. One of the groups in which he plays and composes almost all music for is The Ploctones. Goudsmit is the founder of this quartet with saxophonist Efraïm Trujillo, bassist Jeroen Vierdag and percussionist Martijn Vink.

In 2010, Goudsmit was awarded the VPRO/Boy Edgar Prize. The jury praised him for his versatility and the fact that he knows how to appeal to different age groups. In the same year he received the Duivetje, the prize for best Dutch pop guitarist.