Transnational world music band Bokanté has announced a US tour in Spring 2020. Bokanté’s album What Heat is nominated for Best World Music album. What Heat is a collaboration with Metropole Orkest and British arranger and conductor Jules Buckley.
The word Bokanté means ‘exchange’ in Guadeloupean Creole, the language of singer Malika Tirolien, who grew up in the island. Bokanté includes musicians from 5 countries. The band was formed by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League: “I wanted to put together a band that traces the blues from its roots in Africa and the Arab world throughout the diaspora and into a modern context. A big part of the blues belongs to an acoustic idiom; I wanted this band to pursue how groove-based and soulful it can be.”
Tour dates:
February 22 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
February 23 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
February 26 – North Bethesda, MD – AMP by Strathmore
February 28 – Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center for the Arts
February 29 – Newark, NJ – Victoria Theatre
March 1 – New York, NY – Joe’s Pub
April 30 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater
May 1 – Davis, CA – Mondavi Centre for Arts
May 2, San Francisco, CA – SF Jazz
May 3, San Francisco, CA – SF Jazz
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central