Boi Akih - Foundation Asele

Boi Akih is a mutable group that ranges from duo to sextet, but the constants that give it its unique blend of composed song form and freewheeling improvisation are singer Monica Akihary and guitarist Niels Brouwer. Simon Broughton, Chief Editor of the acclaimed international British music magazine, Songlines, wrote: ‘ Boi Akih have a unique sound that is intensely moving and spiced with virtuoso improvisations. Through breathtaking and compelling concerts, they have built bridges between East & West’

The warm and lithe voice of Akihary and the inventive guitar playing of Niels Brouwer offers the audience a vista of a world filled with emotion and colour. A concert by this duo is an amazing experience. The voice of Akihary is exceptionally nuanced. With her spot on timing, tone and charismatic personality, she immediately touches the heart of the listener.

Boi Akih has developed a distinctive repertoire, one in which cultural roots - musical traditions from the Moluccas (Melanesia), Sunda and Bali, Dutch (European) jazz and improvised music, contemporary music, classical (Indian) music and traditional West-African music - form the basis for composition, improvisation and text. The program of the duo reflects the development of their own musical language whereby sound and elements from various traditions take on a new meaning. Dutch newspaper The Volkskrant wrote: ‘music, in which Akihary’s powerful voice remained emotionally charged even in the sound experiments, just as Brouwer imbued abstract passages with warmth.’