New York, USA – New York City’s premiere world music club, Sounds of Brazil (SOBs),in association with Africamondo, will be presenting the 1st Annual Africa Mondo Festival on Sunday, May 25. There will be live performances by Dominic Kanza and The African Rhythm Machine, Diblo Dibala, Kaïssa Doumbè and The Drums ofAfrica. Manning the wheels of steel will be Mister P and the event will be hosted by radio personality Kola Nut fromWLIB.
S.O.B.’s has remained in the forefront of musical diplomacy by presenting the most accomplished African musicians from Ali Farka Touré to Zap Mama, to music lovers worldwide. Now, with increased interest in the sounds of Africa, S.O.B.’s has created the Africa Mondo Festival that will once a year present the world’s greatest African musicians.
To initiate the Festival The Drums of Africa will perform a percussive prayer. Immediately following will be a moment of silence in honor of the world’s loss of one the most significant African musicians of the late twentieth century, Baaba Olatunji, to whom this first Festival is being dedicated with a portion of the proceeds going to the Baaba Olatunji Foundation.
Taking the stage first will be the spicy and joyous music of Dominic Kanza and The African Rhythm machine. Into his stew of Congolese soukous, Kanza throws spices from all of his international musical experiences including collaborations with Papa Wemba, José Feliciano, Paul Simon and Harry Belafonte.
Named best female vocalist in the 2001 African Music Awards, Kaïssa Doumbè has been thrilling audiences with her unique blend of R&B, jazz, makossa, African and Brazilian fusion. She sings in her native Cameroonian language and is accompanied by an international group of musicians with songs against war and injustice. Her electrifying performance is a testament to the power of music that
transcends cultural differences.
As if the evening wasn’t already magical, guitar wizard Diblo Dibala takes the stage next. Dibala is a master of the electric guitar, to such an extent that he can add intriguing new elements to a song without sounding cliché. He can take a song that begins as a romantic ballad, and slowly transform and rework it with his guitar playing into a hot dance track. Within each song, Dibala’s solo work
leads the music to higher and higher heights of listening pleasure.
For more information go to S.O.B.’s
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
