photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Konono No. 1 headlined the free annual Celebrate Brooklyn African Festival in Prospect Park on Saturday, July 17th. Other free music in Brooklyn that day included Siren Fest and Jelly's party at the Rock Yard.

"Despite the other big names on the bill, it seemed the crowd in Prospect Park was waiting all day to see Kinshasa group Konono No. 1, since a swell of people appeared close to the stage around the time the sun started to go down over the Bandshell and the group appeared on stage. Despite Konono being over thirty years old, they had all the buzz and jittery eagerness surrounding them on Saturday that a crowd usually reserves for new, up and coming groups of 20-somethings. That's because this music--distinct for its three electric likembé, or thumb pianos--is appealing on so many levels. Their rough, DIY aesthetic is arguably the dominant mode du jour in independent music (just take a gander at a recent Pitchfork review of a Wavves or Ariel Pink album). Also, they are just damn cool with their cowboy hats, stone-faced execution of ten-minute songs, and giant horn-shaped amplifier made of car parts. Finally, this music has been out of reach for far too long and has only reached a large number of American ears in the last few years, so it has the unique combination of sounding brand new and comfortably worn in. And it's about time this music has made it to our shores, because it's exotic and entrancing in a way that exemplifies the best of African culture." [The Afropop Blog]

Konono No. 1 played the next night at (Le) Poisson Rouge as well.

More pictures from the day, which also featured sets from Omar Pene & Super Diamono, Chiwoniso, Meta & the Cornerstones, Garikayi Tirikoti and Djarara, are below...

Continue reading "the 2010 Celebrate Brooklyn African Festival in pics (Konono No 1, Omar Pene & Super Diamono, more) "

"Our annual celebration of African music, food and culture builds to an ecstatic crescendo with the distortion-fueled trance music of Congolese thumb-piano wizards Konono No. 1. Dakar heavyweights Omar Pene & Super Diamono, seminal figures in the birth of the modern Senegalese sound, add a jolt of energy to the proceedings, while the distinctive voice of Zimbabwean Afro-soul diva Chiwoniso, the pan-African reggae of Meta & The Cornerstones, and the festival horns and drums from Haiti's Djarara bring other unique flavors to the day."

Konono No 1
Omar Pene
Chiwoniso
Meta & The Cornerstones
Djarara

As previously mentioned, the great Konono No 1 will headlines the annual free Celebrate Brooklyn African Festival in Prospect this Saturday (July 17, 2010 2 - 9 p.m. Gates open at 1 p.m. @ the bandshell). If you miss it, possibly because you're at the Siren Festival, there's also Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday. That indoor Manhattan show is being opened by Javelin and tickets are still on sale.

Konono are currently touring in support of a new album. They also recently contributed the track "Nsimba & Nzuzi" to a charity compilation called "Raise Hope For Congo". Click the link to check it out. The full tracklist, along with updated tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Konono No 1 on tour (African Fest Saturday, a show w/ Javelin Sunday) , on the 'Raise Hope For Congo' comp"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

King Sunny Adé @ Rothbury 2009

Celebrate Brooklyn!'s annual all-day festival of music, food and crafts features a lineup of music selected to keep dancers moving into the night. This year's headliner is the great King Sunny Adé of Nigeria. The bill also includes a rare U.S. appearance by South Africa's Freshly Ground; The Mandingo Ambassadors, from NYC by way of Guinea, whose music "has been structured to make you feel good" (The New York Times); the wild Senegalese drum troupe Cheikh M'Baye & Sing Sing; the powerful Brooklyn-born, Ghanaian vocalist Abena Koomson; and whirling traditional Egyptian dancer, Yasser Darwish.

King Sunny Adé, who plays juju music, "a Nigerian style characterized by interlocking guitars, talking drums and lap-steel," will also be inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame at the free concert. He recently played a set at the 2009 Rothbury Music Festival. More pictures from that, with Saturday's times and videos of King Sunny Adé, below...

Continue reading "African Music Festival in Prospect Park Saturday - lineup includes King Sunny Adé (who played Rothbury - pics) "

photos by Lori Baily

Live, the fusionish nature of the music become apparent very quickly. The benga influence is indeed obvious, with the group's three guitarists playing catchy melodies in syncopated, danceable rhythms. But the rock came through aggressively as well, with fuzzed-out guitar solos (and even a heavy dose of wah-wah in the latter half of "Obama") making numerous appearances. Maybe this just betrays my cultural bias, but these moments when the rock influences were clearest, such as strident distorted guitar lines dissolving elegantly back into staccato benga melodies, were easily my favorite parts of the show. [Washington City Paper]

The NYC show at Knitting Factory was this past Tuesday (July 29, 2008) and Extra Golden will be back in NYC to play the free African Guitar Festival in Prospect Park on Sunday with Daby Toure (an alternative to the Deerhunter / Black Lips / King Khan extravaganza going down the same day in McCarren Pool)....

Sunday, August 3 at 2 - 9pm
American Express Roots Music Series
AFRICAN GUITAR FESTIVAL

Our annual all-day festival of food, clothing crafts, and music from across the continent features a stellar lineup, led by Zimbabwe's deeply soulful national treasure OLIVER MTUKUDZI and heirs to the Malian music throne HABIB KOITÉ & BAMADA and DABY TOURÉ. YOSSI FINE's funk-infused pan African approach and EXTRA GOLDEN, who combine traditional Kenyan Benga with indie rock, complete our most eclectic African festival ever.

2:30pm Extra Golden
3:30pm Yossi Fine & Afrikan Bass
4:40pm Daby Touré
6:00pm Habib Koité & Bamada
7:30pm Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits

More pics from Knitting Factory below...

Continue reading "Extra Golden played KF (pics), African Guitar Fest is Sunday"

DOWNLOAD: Extra Golden - Obama (MP3)

Extra Golden is a band that started as an inter-continental collaboration between Kenyan and American musicians. The music they've developed over two albums is of a style all their own, an innovative combination of east African benga guitar pop and American . This will be the band's second US tour, and their first time visiting much of the country, including the south and west coast. Their latest album Hera Ma Nono was released last fall...

Extra Golden are playing two NYC shows this summer. The first is the annual African Festival at Prospect Park Bandshell on August 3rd with Daby Toure and many others. That's free The second is 17 days later, also free, is sponsored by WFMU, and will take place at Lincoln Center with Either Orchestra and The Ex...

When WFMU was first presented with the ability to put on some free NYC concerts via the New York State Music Fund grant, the obvious first notion was "who would we like to see in NYC that has never played before?" So we wound up the ball and sent the pitch over to Lincoln Center's Bill Bragin: how about Holland's greatest punk exports the Ex coming over (which they have in the past on many occasions), but this time bringing over some of their great international musician friends? The ones only Europe usually gets to see (or Ethiopia, if you happen to be there when the Ex make their fabled stops). We passed contacts to Lincoln Center, Terrie Ex got in touch with his fellow travelers, and then the ball was knocked outta the park in a severe way. The result? Lincoln Center's Out of Doors series in collaboration with WFMU's grant giving you all the chance to see the US debut of a major international collaboration for free at Lincoln Center/Damrosch Park Bandshell on West 62nd Street at Amsterdam in Manhattan, Wednesday, August 20th from 6-10 PM. Yes, free. No advance ticketing. On the bill:

The Ex with Gétatchèw Mèkurya (renowned Ethiopian saxophone legend), and if that weren't enough, Lincoln Center added two amazing East African/American collaborations to the bill: Either/Orchestra with Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté, plus Extra Golden. [WFMU]

. All Extra Golden tour dates below....

Continue reading "Extra Golden - 2008 tour dates, free shows, The Ex & WFMU"