about us
mfa kera
Of Creole extraction KERA was born in Madagascar
and grew up in Senegal. After moving to
Paris, she began her professional career
singing the Blues and Gospel with Memphis Slim
and working with such luminaries as Mickey Baker, John
Lee Hooker and Milton Buckner. She was invited to sing
in the Film "The Adventure Of Jazz" which top
billing were Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Lionel
Hampton and George Benson, and she released her first
music on record as part of homage to Mahalia Jackson.
KERA also ventured into the pop arena with a
number of funk oriented releases as well as a
remarkable first Afro-Project with composer Wazis Diop
on RCA. A spell in Los Angeles exposed
her to the work of other African and Asian musicians
and this influenced her decision to go to Berlin
via Japan in search in sympathetic world- music
projects. She pursues her
own style of cultural fusion already identified
by her as "Ethno-Techno-Pan- African sphere" in the '80s,
using her gifts in the complementary areas of writing,
composing, painting and singing.
Long term collaboration with German electronic composer
and arranger Reinhard Katemann, and master drummers
like Ekow Alabi Savage and Souleymane Touré
brought then a fantastic synthesis that she called
"Heavy-Wood-Music", on the market.
Later on she formed the "Black Heritage Orchestra"
working with US Jazzman Mike Russell, telling
the story of black music in music (from
Ethnic-African music through Blues, Afro-beat, Salsa, Gospel,
Reggae, Jazz, Funk and Rap). With the help of Berliner
Senat KERA then wrote and produced the musical
play "Odeylo" from the repertoire of the "Black
Heritage": the Story of Mama Africa". Part of the soundtrack of
this very successful musical was released on CD (feat. late Eddy
Harris) which stayed one year long in the world music
charts (between place 8 & 9 of 110 releases).
The Black Heritage Orchestra is constantly performing in
Europe and abroad (e.g. South Africa, where KERA did
some recordings with Airto Moreira and the
South African Allstars, or recently in the US).
MFA KERA is also producing the "kera’s journey" presenting an
astonishing flirt of the African music with rock and classical
music.
MFA KERA worked for the publishing company "Klett"
by composing songs in French for the use in
schools. CD and booklet with songs and play-back: Klett Verlag,
Collection Paroles & Musique.
Kera made a journey to China and brought back
recordings with artists and percussionists from Mongolia.
Fantastic success also in Salvador de Bahia
where Kera played at the festival "Femadum" of
and with "Olodum". She was also the guest of
stars like Carlinhos Brown.
After having performed with Black Heritage for the
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Kera was also invited to
sing for the President of the Federal Republic of
Germany Johannes Rau at his last "Presidential Summer".
Kera produced her own radio show for a while and founded the "Universal Gospel Voices" Multi Ethnic Gospel group,
singing the "Good News".
MFA Kera's involvement with the reforestation of her homeland Madagascar (e.g. cooperating with musician-activist
Ricky Olombelo) and her years long work with well known artists and environmental activists like Ben Wagin from
Germany ("Parliament of Trees", "Water Museum") have encouraged her to mount a project she called
The Power of the
Music and Arts to reconcile Mankind with Nature - a musical project for Trees. She met the international organization
Trees for the Future in Washington DC and supports their actions.
She wrote a Rhapsody with German producer/arranger Reinhard Katemann and recorded and performed with bass virtuoso
TM Stevens. She recently performed in Berlin with the renowned percussionist
Bill Summers.
Kera composes, writes, produces, paints and
also teaches making workshops worldwide.
mike russell
was born in 1952 in
Washington D.C.
and began studying classical and Flamenco guitar
at an early age. His professional career started in the 60s with soul and blues bands.
Song writing and composing was an early interest and this creative side resulted in some
studio work with
Columbia Records as guitarist and composer.
The year 1970 was his
first record release
as composer and the title "Black Woman" was recorded by
Grammy nominated Gloria Taylor
and culminated in a US tour.
The year 1972 saw his own Jazz-Rock group "Water Forest" perform
Andy Warhol at the Kennedy Center in
Washington.
Since moving to Berlin in
1989 he has performed with Eddy Harris, Billy Bang and many others.
He formed the Black Heritage Orchestra with singer MFA KERA and released the CD in 1995 which reached the
Top 10 European world music charts. He also has created
his own Jazz-Soul-Funk sound.
He performed on German TV, Guinness Festival South Africa, Greece, Poland and America and returned to Washington D.C.
to perform with Mfa Kera & Black Heritage at the world famous Blues Alley Jazz Club and
Smithsonian Center.
He was also invited to host special workshops at the George Washington University Jazz
Department.
He recently toured in Poland and Ukraine where he counts thousands of fans.
Thanks to his fantastic skills Mike was invited to perform with the
"Original Michael Jackson Band Immortal Tour"
for a Christmas show where he played with Greg Phillinganes, Jonathan Moffet and Mike Phillips.
reinhard katemann
was born in Germany in 1953.
From 10 onwards he studied classical piano, horn, trombone and the tuba, eventually being asked to
lead the school chorus. Between 1962 and 1972 he was apprenticed as a
piano tuner.
Alongside his formal training he was regularly playing
in bands.
Living in Berlin from 1978, he developed the twin skills
of sound programming and composing, achieving commercial success in selling
sounds for the Yamaha synthesizers such as DX-7 and FB-01. In 1984 he developed new
micro-tuning scales and sold them on cartridges for DX-7. Meanwhile he
was perfecting his career as a composer, arranger and keyboard player.
His interests in
African music dates from an early age and it was inevitable that he should meet up with
MFA KERA when she came to Berlin.
Since then they have collaborated as the creative heart of the MFA
KERA Ensemble. Reinhard also worked from the beginning as the
arranger of the Black Heritage Orchestra.
Despite all these commitments he has found the
time to build a digital studio!