Monday 17th September | 7.30pm
LUCKY RANKU,
GARY CROSBY and
OMAR PUENTE
VORTEX JAZZ CLUB
11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ
Tickets: £12.50/£10.00 (cons)
Box Office: 020 7254 4097
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
For the first time The African Jazz
Allstars’ South African guitarist Lucky Ranku joins forces with Jazz
Jamaica’s legendary bassist Gary Crosby and Cuban virtuoso violinist
Omar Puente for a musical journey that connects the African diaspora.
Lucky Ranku’s history includes being a member of Dudu Pukwana’s Zila,
musical director of the ANC Choir and co-founder of the South African
Gospel Singers and currently the leader of the African Jazz Allstars.
Gary Crosby’s history includes being an original member of the Jazz
Warriors, founder of Jazz Jamaica, co-founder of Dune Records and
educationist with Nu Troop and Tomorrows Warriors, topping it all is his
OBE awarded by The Queen. Omar Puente’s history includes performances
with Chucho Valdez, Ruben Gonzalez, Agrupacion de Concierto, Nacional
Symphony Orquestra de Cuba, Pablo Milanes, Raices Cubanas, Cubania,
Courtney Pine, Denys Baptiste and the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. In
this concert they play new compositions from the three legendary
figures.
Tuesday 18th September | 7.30pm
DIABEL CISSOKHO
VORTEX JAZZ CLUB
11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ
Tickets: £12.50/£10.00 (cons)
Box Office: 020 7254 4097
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
Senegalese
Diabel Cissokho’s musical pedigree is exceptional. International tours
with his family’s band Bannaya led to a long stint as Baaba Maal’s kora
player, tours with the likes of Kandia Kouyate, Pee Wee Ellis, Nuru
Kane, Daby Balde, Omar Pene and Abdou Diop. Diabel’s virtuoso talent,
his “resonant voice and rocking kora style” (Songlines), have been
welcomed everywhere from WOMAD and Glastonbury to London’s Barbican.
Diabel’s success with bluesman Ramon Goose cemented his reputation as a
versatile musician, able to effortlessly cross cultures. Their album
Mansana Blues was lauded as “a flavoursome mix of slide guitar, mellow
kora and undulating Mandinka rhythms” (fRoots) which “delivers moments
of steamy pleasure” (Songlines).
Diabel’s new CD ‘Kanabory Siyama’ (World Village) marks a return to
his roots. Recorded in the UK and Dakar and featuring members of his
own family, the album draws on Diabel’s rich musical heritage, blending
beautiful Mandinkan melodies with an upbeat West African groove. Tonight
he leads his cracking band as they play from this new CD.
Wednesday 19th September | 7.30pm
AYINKE MARTINS AND SARA MCGUINNESS
VORTEX JAZZ CLUB
11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ
Tickets: £12.50/£10.00 (cons)
Box Office: 020 7254 4097
www.vortexjazz.co.uk
Nigerian
vocalist Ayinke Martins, a star soloist with The Yoruba Women Choir,
met Sara MacGuinness British pianist and leader of Congolese and Cuban
ensemble Grupo Lokito last year and they decided to create something new
from their unique experiences that encompass many genres and styles of
music.
Together they create music that has no barriers – one minute it
is the soul of R&B, next a funk work out and then a Latin shuffle.
Ayinke Martins and Sara McGuinness explore global sounds and rhythms
with an international line-up of musicians Congolese guitarist Limozine
Kabange, Nigerian bassist Femi Sofela, Cuban drummer Michel Castellanos,
Colombian percussionist Emeris Solis and Nigerian percussionist Taiye
Ajiboye.
Wednesday 19th September | 7.30pm
THE MASTER DRUMMERS OF AFRICA
STRATFORD CIRCUS
Theatre Square, Stratford, London, E15 1BX.
Tickets: £15.00/£12.50 (cons)
Box Office: 0844 357 2625
www.stratford-circus.com
The Master Drummers of Africa in full
flow is one of the most thrilling and unforgettable spectacles in world
music. Deep, mysterious, spiritual, celebratory and utterly compelling,
the world’s greatest drum orchestra features 10 drummers from 10 African
nations representing over 300 tribes of Africa. The Master Drummers of
Africa draws from 3000 years of tribal rhythms to create an ecstatic and
freewheeling music straight from the heart of African culture in a
spectacular and dynamic 3-hour stage show. Using over 100 ethnic drums
the orchestra creates uplifting and infectious rhythms from a cradle of
civilization that continues to influence every style of music, from jazz
to salsa to funk providing a living proof that rhythms of the world
have their roots in ancient Africa. Tonight in their first London show
in 2 years they perform a new suite “Thunder and Lighting” composed to
celebrate 10 years of the Master Drummers of Africa.
Thursday 20th September | 7.30pm
SKA CUBANO
+ DJ Chris Tofu
STRATFORD CIRCUS
Theatre Square, Stratford, London, E15 1BX.
Tickets: £15.00/£12.50 (cons)
Box Office: 0844 357 2625
www.stratford-circus.com
Take classic rhythms from two of the
world’s most musically influential islands, Jamaica and Cuba, mash them
together like mint and sugar, add ample amounts of intoxicating melodies
and a dash of jest; the result is a magical musical cocktail that has
been setting dance floors ablaze from London to Tokyo. Skip into a
parallel universe where the hottest musical development is Ska Cubano,
the meshing of unstoppable Jamaican rhythms with crazy Cuban brass. Ska!
The compulsively danceable sound that rocked the clubs of Jamaica in
the late `50′s and early `60′s and opened the way for world domination
by reggae. Cuba! – the most musical country on earth, the source of a
large part of the great Latin music of the last century and of many of
the world’s hottest popular musicians. Put them together and you get an
exhilarating fusion: irresistible rhythms plus soaring flights of
melodic imagination.
Thursday 20th September | 7.30pm
KRAR COLLECTIVE
RICHMIX
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA
Tickets: £15.00/£12.50 (cons)
Box Office: 020 7613 7498
www.richmix.org.uk
The Krar is an Ethiopian six stringed
harp. It is the lead instrument of the mesmerizing Krar Collective led
by Temesegen Tareken, a former star pupil of veteran Ethiopian
vibraphone player Mulatu Astatke. Krar Collective funk up their
Ethiopian roots in a spectacular way with the soaring voice of Genet
Assefa and hypnotic rhythms of drummer Amare. This is modern root music
that takes on traditional music from Ethiopia as a starting point of
global sounds from gentle ballads to high-energy dance tunes. The
6-stringed krar lyre is associated with the azmari minstrel tradition;
in the hands of Zeleke it becomes a gritty and rock guitar.
Krar Collective creates a surprisingly big sound, leading one critic
to name them ‘The Ethiopian White Stripes’. The band is accompanied on
stage by an amazing group of Ethiopian dancers adding colour and sheer
exuberance to the show.
“Krar Collective rock” (fRoots)
“Spine tingling stuff” (Fly Global Music)
Friday 21st September | 7.30pm
MAD PROFESSOR
and Dub Me Crazy Africa Band
STRATFORD CIRCUS
Theatre Square, Stratford, London, E15 1BX.
Tickets: £15.00/£12.50 (cons)
Box Office: 0844 357 2625
www.stratford-circus.com
Sonic dub genius Mad Professor has
turned the mixing board into an instrument of on-stage manipulation of
samplers, mixers and effects processors that creates a dense, shifting
collage of sounds and rhythms. Mad Professor’s own label Ariwa Records
has released over 100 albums since 1981. For years Mad Professor has
been visiting Africa with his Dub Me Crazy Africa project and tonight we
have the chance to hear this project featuring Senegalese kora master
Diabel Cissokho and Nigerian talking drummer extraordinary Wale Ogungbe
for the first time in the UK. With the Dub Me Crazy Africa Band Mad
Professor takes dub into Africa in exploration of African rhythms of the
Mandinka and Yoruba cultures where it is given a harder edge influence
by the sonic heatwave of African night club.
Friday 21st September | 7.00pm
CARMEN SOUZA
JAZZ CAFÉ
5 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PG
Tickets: £17.50 / £15.00 (cons)
Box Office: 0207 485 6834
www.jazzcafe.co.uk
Lisbon born Cape Verdean songstress
Carmen Souza has it all: excellent repertoire, a nimble and versatile
voice that glides effortlessly through a huge range of registers and a
totally relaxed stage presence. Whether she is singing the plaintive
morna (the Cape Verdean variation of the blues) or an exuberant batuco
Souza is always convincing owing to her swing jazzy sense of timing and
uncanny ability to bring several shades of nuance to even the highest
and lowest notes she sings. After a stint in her teens singing
professionally in a Lusophone Gospel Choir, and a period dabbling in
musical genres as diverse as Funk, Soul, and Jazz, she finally found her
own voice. Singing in her ancestors’ Creole language and mixing
traditional African and Cape Verde rhythms like Batuku, Morna, Kola San
Djon with contemporary jazz influences to create an unique sound all of
her own. She features music from her three CDs Ess ê nha Cabo Verde
(2005); Verdade (Truth) (2007) and Protegid (2010).
Friday 21st September | 7.30pm
AMIRA KHEIR
+ MINN DIARABI
UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY
Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG
Tickets: £10.00
Tickets: 020 7326 2615www.upstairsattheritzy.co.uk
Sudanese-Italian singer/songwriter
Amira Kheir is creating a sound that is inspired by traditional Sudanese
singing and instrumentation, blended with elements of Jazz, Soul,
African as well as Middle Eastern music. The unique result gives a taste
of Sudan’s rich cultural heritage in the context of our ever-merging
world.
Her music is evocative of Northern Sudan’s desert landscape,
celebrating its ancient culture and multitude realities, while rooted in
a compelling call to come together to share our single human journey.
Amira Kheir plays from her new CD ”View From Somewhere” which showcases
her Sudanese roots and global rhythms.
Minn Diarabi, a truly remarkable Senegalese blues outfit, draws
elements from the rich Fula tradition interwoven with Rumba, Mbalax,
Afro-Latin and deep blues. Led by Senegalese Abdoulaye Samb, MINN
DIARABI (translates literally ‘Mixed Love’) is definitely one of the
best hidden gems on the African music scene.
Saturday 22nd September | 7.00pm
THE CONGO ALLSTARS
JAZZ CAFÉ
5 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PG
Tickets: £17.50 / £15.00 (cons)
Box Office: 0207 485 6834
www.jazzcafe.co.uk
The Congo Allstars create undiluted
Congolese rumba with its four singers, 1 rapper, two guitarists and a
rock solid rhythm section. This is modern soukous driven by chiming
guitar lines, anchored by deep bass lines and powered by the infectious
rhythms of leader and legendary conga player Koko Kanyinda. The four
singers lead from the front with afro-soul intensity that has made the
Congo Allstars one of Africa’s greatest live bands.
The Congo Allstars features Koko Kanyinda (congas/vocals); Makuta
Egene (vocals); Udo Luvunge (vocals); Emain Bongongo (vocals); Claudia
Lukasa (vocals); Shamo Maracas (raps); Limozine Kabange (lead guitar);
Ladi Mbala (rhythm guitar); Chocola Zasamba (bass guitar); Babwaku
Biasonama (kit drum); Zola Kalonji (keyboards) and Stoni Loketo
(dancer).
Saturday 22nd September | 7.30pm
ELECTRIC JALABA
HACKNEY ATTIC
270 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1HE
Tickets: £10.00
Box Office: 0871 902 5734
www.hackneyattic.co.uk
ELECTRIC JALABA are Simo Lagnawi, Dave De Rose, Henry Keen, Olly Keen, Nathaniel Keen and Barnaby Keen
Gnawa Folklore meets London Quirk as
eclectic groove adventurers Sound Species join forces with Moroccan
Gnawa master musician Simo Lagnawi to create some deep Psychedelic Gnawa
Funk in the form of ELECTRIC JALABA.
Ancient songs from the Gnawa tradition about mysterious women, men
that divide oceans and armies of soul conquerors weave themselves among
enormous infectious grooves, analogue effects and warped guitars. The
sound of the camel skin Guembri and Lagnawi’s impressive vocals will
transport you to another world as the band boil relentlessly through a
range of beautifully unearthly grooves. Expect inexhaustible energy,
moments of soulful calm and pinnacles of ecstatic mayhem, plus some
dance moves, you’ve definitely never seen before.
Sunday 23rd September | 7.30pm
FUNMI OLAWUMI
RONNIE SCOTT’S CLUB
47 Frith Street, London W1V 4HT
Traditional and contemporary Yoruba
music combine in the soulful voice of Funmi Olawumi, the founder of the
Yoruba Women Choir, who creates Faaji music from a refreshing mix of
influences, from juju, highlife and afrobeat to fuji. Faaji is a
Nigerian-Yoruba word for having a good time and Funmi Olawumi and her
12-piece band create hypnotic dance music that galvanizes and uplifts in
a remarkable way. Tonight she performs with her big band featuring The
Naija Soul Sisters (Joy Aigbekan, Nike Fagbuaro, Esther Mabadeje and
Kehinde Talabi), guitarist Lekan Shobiyi, keyboardist Gbenga Kolade,
bassist Femi Sofela, drummer John Bello, percussionist Wole Aina, alto
saxophonist Israel Ifedayo and talking drummers Saeed Gbadamosi and Wale
Ogungbe
Tuesday 25 September | 7.00pm
Modeste
JAZZ CAFÉ
5 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PG
Tickets: £12.00
Box Office: 0207 485 6834 www.jazzcafe.co.uk
“Hugues is a pleasingly smoky-toned
singer and a fine guitarist, able to play rhythm and lead all at once.
He’s so effective in this musical sleight of hand that audience members
scan the stage in search of a (non-existant) second guitar player.”
Jamie Renton, The Independent. Modeste is an award winning Malagasy
singer songwriter and guitarist whose music is rooted in his hometown of
Betroka in the Central Southern region of Madagascar. His music is a
unique blend of traditional Malagasy sounds influenced by softer South
African dance rhythms, creating beautiful melodies & rhythms with
hypnotic guitar playing and vocals.
Modeste has performed to audiences in their thousands at many venues
and festivals across the UK and abroad, including the Barbican, the
Royal Festival Hall, the Brighton Dome, the London Jazz Festival, The
Big Chill and WOMAD in the UK and abroad. He has toured with Cesaria
Evora for the UK stretch of her tour and has been featured and has
played live on countless BBC radio programmes including Janice Long’s
Radio 2 show, the World Service and a live broadcast and performance at
Union Chapel with BBC Radio 3. This gig at the Jazz Cafe will be the
launch of Modeste’s third album ‘Handeha Hody / Going Home’ and the new
CD will be on sale for the first time this night. Modeste will be
playing songs from all of his albums including favourites like ‘Agapi
Mou’ and ‘Mifona’.
Wednesday 26th September | 7.30pm
THE YORUBA WOMEN CHOIR
+ BUMI THOMAS
STRATFORD CIRCUS
Theatre Square, Stratford, London, E15 1BX.
Tickets: £15.00/£12.50 (cons)
Box Office: 0844 357 2625
www.stratford-circus.com
Gospel is the biggest music in Africa
and one of the biggest choirs of them all is the mighty Yoruba Women
Choir founded by singer Funmi Olawumi in 2006 and featuring 10 female
soloists and six piece band to present a show that is bursting with
intense soulful passion. This is the music that inspires the mind and
uplifts the soul. The choir have married the intricate rhythms and
harmonies of their native Nigerian musical traditions to the sounds and
sentiments of Christian gospel music. The result is a musical and
spiritual alchemy that has touched a worldwide audience representing
every corner of the religious, cultural and ethnic landscape. The Yoruba
Women Choir are Ayinke Martins, Joy Aigbekan, Nike Fagbuaro, Biola
Dosumu, Dupe Lawnson, Mary Oguntade, Tinu Adewoye, Biola Ojugbele,
Esther Mabadeje, Comfort Oyelumade and Funmi Olawumi. The band members
are Taiye Agbaye (guitar), Kayode Adeniran (bass), John Bello (drums),
Wole Aina (percussion) and Wale Ogungbe (talking drum) Soulful vocalist
Bumi Thomas opens the show with her full band featuring guitarist Jon
Speedy, bassist Matteo Grassi, drummer Juilian Weishaupt and keyboardist
Paul Silver.
Thursday 27th September | 7.30pm
TONY DUDU and THE GUMBE JAZZ
UPSTAIRS AT THE RITZY
Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG
Tickets: £10.00
Box Office: 020 7326 2615
www.upstairsattheritzy.co.uk
Tony Dudu, who was born in Bambadinca,
Guinea Bissau, West-Africa, is one of the towering figures of ‘palop’
sound which comes from a fusion of West-African and South African
rhythms and Jazz driven by Latin grooves. At the age of twelve Tony Dudu
joined “Os Lacaraes”, Guinea-Bissau’s first infants musical band. Two
years later he was invited to play with the famous group “Africa Livre”,
where he met Manecas Costa and “Justino Delgado”. In 1988 while in
Portugal Tony Dudu joined “Os Issabary” from Guinea Bissau. He also made
a name for himself as an in demand session appearing on over 100
records with different artists from diverse parts of Africa like: Guinea
Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome, Cape Verde and Brazil. He was
lead guitar for Valdemar Bastos, Manecas Costa, Justino Delgado, Eneida
Marta, Tabanka Djazz, Don Kikas, Bonga, Juca and many more. In 2007 he
joined the Matimba’s band, from Zimbabwe, played with Moses Conde from
Guinea Conakry, Africa Bauantu from Ghana, Kamba Semba from Angola,
Zimbabwean saxophonist Paul Lunga. It was in 2009 that Tony formed his
new band “Gumbe Jazz” and tonight the band will play special set to mark
their festival debut. Expect frenetic dance grooves from all these
funky people.
Friday 28th September | 7.30pm
RISE KAGONA
THE AFRICA CENTRE
38 King Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8JT
Tickets: £12.50/£10.00 (cons)
Box Office: 020 7836 1973
www.africacentre.org.uk
Rise Kagona is a true African music
legend. Born in Malawi, Rise Kagona is the founder, lead guitarist and
sole remaining member of Zimbabwean rock band Bhundu Boys. The Bhundu
Boys were the ambassadors of African music and one of the first African
groups to tour the world in the 1980s. Rise Kagona along with the
original Bhundu Boys, mixed Zimbabwean styles with rhumba, influences
from the Congo and labelled their fast paced music ‘Jit Jive’. They were
a ground-breaking force in African music, paving the way for more
artists to be successful in Europe and the US. They enjoyed fantastic
success – with international hits and stadium tours – and personal
tragedy in equal measure. Their story is as compelling as their
accomplishments are great and their music infectious unlike any other
African groups. Tonight Rise Kagona plays with his band – The Jit Jive
Band – and features songs from his legendary career and new songs from
his forthcoming album.
Saturday 29th September | 7.00pm
THE AFRICAN JAZZ STARS
JAZZ CAFÉ
5 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PG
Tickets: £17.50 / £15.00 (cons)
Box Office: 0207 485 6834
www.jazzcafe.co.uk
Africa’s finest jazz orchestra returns
with their blistering big band funk, imaginative jazz solos and
irresistible African rhythms. At the helm is Africa’s finest jazz
guitarist Lucky Ranku, who leads the hard as nail rhythm section
featuring inventive pianist Adam Glasser, power house drummer Babwaku
Biasonama, percussionist Siemy Di and deep end bassist Femi Sofela. The
stellar cast horn section features high note trumpeter Claude Deppa, bad
bone trombonist Trevor Edwards, creative alto saxophonist Tony Kofi,
soulful tenor saxophonist Bukky Leo and deep end baritone saxophonist
Greg Bonnie. Vocalist Pinise Saul adds her class quality as the featured
songstress. Expect an exhilarating and rousing show
THE AFRICAN JAZZ ALLSTARS
Lucky Ranku, guitar; Claude Deppa, trumpet; Trevor Edwards, trombone;
Bukky Leo, tenor saxophone; Tony Kofi, alto saxophone; Greg Bonnie,
baritone saxophone; Adam Glasser, piano; Femi Sofela, bass; Babwaku
Biasonama, drums; Siemy Di, percussion and Pinise Saul, vocals.
Saturday 29th September | 10pm
DELE SOSIMI and his AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA
+ DJ Koichi
NEW EMPOWERING CHURCH
1a Westgate Street, Hackney, E8 3RL
CLOSING PARTY
Take a trip to the heart of Hackney to experience Africa’s finest
live afrobeat session with pianist Dele Sosimi as he leads his powerful
Afrobeat Orchestra with DJ Koichi dropping heavy weight Afrobeat, afro
funk and tropical rhythms on the desk. Dele Sosimi is one of the
brightest lights in Afrobeat and funk today. His pedigree is
unquestionable: he cut his teeth as the keyboard player, musical
director and instructor in Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80. He continued with
Fela’s son Femi in Positive Force, combining complex funk grooves,
traditional Nigerian music, hi-life, African percussion and jazz.
