With Kalejira Al-Buk, Kepa Junkera returned to Elkar, taking advantage of the opening of the newly renovated studios in Donostia. The recording sessions stretched between February and March, unfolding calmly and with close attention to detail. Eugenio Lasarte’s cover artwork reflects the travelling spirit of the project, depicting the triki, alboka and pandero in settings reminiscent of African landscapes, with musicians constantly in motion. The core band —Alzola, Rodríguez and Landeta, joined by Ion Cañaveras on bass— remained intact, while alboka player Ibon Koteron and the txalaparta duo Gerla Beti (Perdi and Rubén, from Araia) also joined the sessions. The involvement of some Oskorri members was reduced, while new guest voices and a wide range of instruments —from percussion and panderos to bagpipes and keyboards— considerably expanded the album’s sonic palette.

The roster of lyricists also broadened, with Edorta Jimenez, David E. Passingham and Andoni Egaña joining Jon Sarasua, bringing variety and freshness to the songs’ texts. On the technical side, César Ibarretxe took on the role of engineer, overseeing both the studio recording and live sound supervision, while Jean Phocas participated only in the mixing of a couple of tracks. After extensive research, Kepa decided to incorporate traditional instruments such as the alboka, txalaparta and pandero, aiming for the pieces to convey the richness of Basque folklore and to avoid previous arrangements that, leaning too heavily toward jazz, might have sounded predictable or cold.

The album contains thirteen compositions, four of them instrumental: “Madagaskar”, which instantly became a classic; the arin-arin “Ahuntzaren gauerdiko eztula”; the “Fandango”, later featured regularly in concerts; and “Neguko balsa / La valse”, an adaptation of a song by Les Negresses Vertes. The lyrics explore diverse themes: the city of Bilbao, romantic relationships, African diamonds as metaphor, cultural tradition in the face of American dominance, and historical episodes such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The rhythms return to Basque roots through arin-arins, kalejiras, fandangos and jotas, while other pieces venture into different territories, including waltzes and internationally influenced music, consolidating an album that balances tradition, modernity and musical diversity.

Record label: Elkar. Production: Kepa Junkera.