As a part of our “Catching Up With” series, I recently re-connected with Azerbaijani-born, New York-based pianist/composer Amina Figarova, and her musical collaborator partner and husband, the exceptional flutist Bart Platteau. This dynamic duo has recorded more than more than a dozen albums, and have travelled the world performing at jazz festivals and engagements, all of which has led to a diverse body of work filled with rich influences from their global experiences. 

Even though Amina and Bart are deeply rooted in the U.S., it’s been their travels  - and most notably their visits to South Africa - that brought them to their latest album release. Amina  was inspired to compose and create “Suite for Africa” through her experiences working with students during her travels. However, it was a chance encounter on a rescheduled flight with the Matsiko World Orphan Choir, an ensemble of orphaned and at risk children from war-ravaged Liberia, that brought the stirring piece fully to life. 

In this episode we talk with Amina and Bart about the fascinating backstory of this album’s development and how a chance meeting on a flight from Brussels to New York became the icing on the cake for this musical project.