OCCIDENTAL BROTHERS ON TOUR
[DUNKELBUNT]
A NEW DAY; LAYA PROJECT REMIXED
ADDIS ACOUSTIC PROJECT
AFRO ROOTS WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
AMADOU & MARIAM
ANTÓNIO ZAMBUJO
APHRODESIA
BALKANBEATS
BANCO DE GAIA
BOBAN I MARKO MARKOVIC ORKESTAR
BOBAN I MARKO MARKOVIC
BOY WITHOUT GOD
C.J. CHENIER
CARLOS GOGO GOMEZ
CHOBAN ELEKTRIK
CHOPTEETH
CHRISTIANE D
CHRISTINE VAINDIRLIS
CLARA PONTY
COPAL
CUCHATA
DAMJAN KRAJACIC
DANIEL CROS
DEBO & FENDIKA
DEL CASTILLO
DR JAYANTHI KUMARESH
EARTHRISE SOUNDSYSTEM
EGYPT NOIR
ELIN FURUBOTN
EMILY SMITH
FANFARE CIOCARLIA VS. BOBAN & MARKO MARKOVIC
FEUFOLLET
FIAF PRESENTS WORLD NOMADS MOROCCO: MUSIC
FOOTSTEPS IN AFRICA
GECKO TURNER
GENTICORUM
GEOFF BERNER
GIANMARIA TESTA
GODS ROBOTS
GUARCO
HUUN HUUR TU
INDIAN OCEAN
IRENE JACOB & FRANCIS JACOB
JANAKA SELEKTA
JANYA
JERRY LEAKE
JOAQUIN DIAZ
JOEL RUBIN
JORGE STRUNZ
JOSEF KOUMBAS
JOYFUL NOISE (I GRADE RECORDS)
JUST A BAND
KAMI THOMPSON
KARTICK & GOTAM
KHALED
KHING ZIN & SHWE SHWE KHAING
KITKA'S CAUCASIAN CONNECTIONS PROJECT PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS
KMANG KMANG
KOTTARASHKY AND THE RAIN DOGS
LA CHERGA
LAC LA BELLE
LAYA PROJECT
LENI STERN
LES TRIABOLIQUES
LISTEN FOR LIFE
LOBI TRAORÉ
LO'JO
LOKESH
MAGNIFICO
MAHALA RAI BANDA
MIDNITE
MOHAMMED ALIDU AND THE BIZUNG FAMILY
MR. SOMETHING SOMETHING
MY NAME IS KHAN
NAWAL
NAZARENES
NO STRANGER HERE (EARTHSYNC)
OCCIDENTAL BROTHERS ON TOUR
OCCIDENTAL GYPSY
OREKA TX
ORQUESTRA CONTEMPORÂNEA DE OLINDA
PABLO SANCHEZ
PEDRO MORAES
RAYA BRASS BAND
SALSA CELTICA
SAMITE
SARA BANLEIGH
SARAH AROESTE
SELAELO SELOTA
SHYE BEN-TZUR
SIA TOLNO
SIBIRI SAMAKE
SISTER FA
SLIDE TO FREEDOM II
SONIA BREX
SOSALA
SWEET ELECTRA
SYSTEMA SOLAR
TAGA SIDIBE
TAJ WEEKES
TARANA
TARUN NAYAR
TE VAKA
TELEPATH
THE MOUNTAIN MUSIC PROJECT
THE NATIVE AMERICA NORTH SHOWCASE
THE SPY FROM CAIRO
TITO GONZALEZ
TOUSSAINT
VARIOUS ARTISTS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
WATCHA CLAN
WHEN HARRY TRIES TO MARRY SOUNDTRACK
WOMEXIMIZER
WOMEXIMIZER
ZDOB SI ZDUB
ZIETI
Concert Review

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Doobeedoobeedoo, Concert Review >>

Although the Occidental Brothers have been making a name for themselves for their revival of the African Highlife style of music that they play based out of Chicago, at this NYC show at Le Poisson Rouge, they featured Congolese legend Samba Mapangala. This mix allows the band to pay tribute to the classics of Ghana and West Africa while at the same time adding their own stamp on the genre with originals and instrumentals. Whichever they do, the African pulse and the Highlife guitar runs are all there and it’s hard to sit still or resist the urge to dance once they get started.

That’s one reason it was a shame that Le Poisson Rouge had the tables set up for this night. Although the room was bathed in beautiful reds and greens and candlelit, without the space to move around up front, it was impossible for this to turn into a full-on celebration. Nonetheless, the band was on point, andMakaya McCraven on drums was a driving, progressive force throughout the night, keeping the beat, building up a swell and dropping out in traditional style. Bassist Joshua Ramos played hypnotically at times, and looser, jazzier when the rhythm pulled him out further. Greg Ward on alto sax seemed a bit low in the mix, and could have been more experimental with his solos.

Without a doubt, leader Nathaniel Braddock on guitar (who instructs at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and has been featured in Guitar Player Magazine), stays true to the roots of this African music and floats aloft when soloing with twinkling trills and runs in an authentic Highlife style. When done, he effortlessly slips back into rhythm in time to back singer Mapangala, and joined by second guitarist, Antonio Carella, keeps the pulse flowing on .

In fact, this is an inspired collaboration, the African legend playing with a younger, diverse, American backing band, that nonetheless can do it all in the traditional style. The band’s original instrumentals were strong too, and it seemed like they could be even more unrestrained and slightly less overly-respectful when backing Mapangala.

This band, in this incarnation, has been working together since ’09, and will have a new album out in ’11 documenting this unique Highlife revival. They will only increase their already critically-acclaimed reputation if they manage to capture all the best of the elements that they’re now mixing together. Look for it!

PS: Check out also this video: Samba Mapangala performs his famous songMalako with the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International at Mountain View Plaza, Snoqualmie Casino, Snoqualmie Washington (US), June 19, 2010.

 09/08/10 >> go there

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