Congolese band Jupiter & Okwess with special guests The Jack Moves are set to perform on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at Littlefield in Brooklyn, New York. Jupiter & Okwess were “discovered” in 2006 thanks to Jupiter’s Dance, a documentary about the new music scene in Kinshasa (the capital and the largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Charismatic band leader Jupiter Bokondji represents the innovative scene of street musicians in Kinshasa. The band combines Afropop, traditional Congolese rhythms, funk, and rock with socially conscious lyrics.
Born in Kinshasa, Jupiter began drumming as a boy, helping his grandmother, a traditional healer, at ceremonies and funerals. In 1974, his diplomat father was stationed in East Berlin, where Jupiter discovered rock music and became inspired by the apparent complicity between Congolese traditions and Western music. He returned to Kinshasa, convinced that music could be a unifying force and determined to create his own mode of musical expression.
Jupiter’s band Okwess includes Montana (of Staff Benda Bilili) on drums, Yendé on bass, guitarists Eric and Richard and the singer Blaise. Their new album is Kin Sonic.
The show is produced by World Music Institute and (le) poisson rouge.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
The Jack Moves, 8:00 p.m.
Jupiter & Okwess, 9:00 p.m.
Littlefield, 635 Sackett St, Brooklyn
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
