July 2, 20199:30 pm - 11:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Bossa Bistro website “Cheick Hamala’s Griot Street Band carried the evening from beginning to end. They played two sets; one in the middle that appeared to wake everyone up, and the one that closed out the night with people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. At one point during the crazed dancing, an elderly man fell smack down on his behind from dancing so fast and then to our surprise leaped right back onto his feet without skipping a beat." — Voice of America
•
3
4
Feedel Band
Feedel Band
July 4, 20198:00 pm - 11:00 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Venue & Event Link - $10 EthioJazz all-stars Feedel Band bring their funky mix of genres to Bossa every first Thursday of the month!
With the largest Ethiopian community outside of Ethiopia itself, it’s no wonder DC birthed Feedel Band, a group with ties to the homeland but reverence for imported rhythms and global tones. “Feedel” means “letter” or “alphabet” in Amharic – a fitting name as the band is developing a musical language all its own, paying its dues to trad EthioJazz but also rewriting the book on the genre.
The members of Feedel Band boast bang-up résumés, having performed with many illustrious musicians, both individually and as a group. They take their cues from Ethiopian legends such as Walias, Ibex, and Roha Band, but their style of Ethiopian funk, soul, and jazz is straight original.
Doors: 8 pm Cover: $10 at the door
•
5
6
7
Senegal Day
Senegal Day
July 7, 201910:00 am - 9:00 pm Veterans Plaza, 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Event Link - FREE festivalThis is a cultural day labeled as "Senegal Day". An annual event that promotes West African cultural heritage in general and Senegalese in particular. Activities will range from rhythm & dance, music, health clinic, gastronomic, and various vendors will showcase clothing, books, art and bazaar-style articles. The "Taste of Senegal" is bound to be instructional and visitors are bound to learn from it. Of course, education is another social benefit and this isn't learning from a book or in a classroom—this is hands-on, experiential learning offered in the fun context of celebration. It is a free one-day festival, highlighting the unique qualities of the Senegalese culture, its diverse ethnically groups & languages. The festival will also provide a variety of activities for all ages by exploring Senegalese and African food music and arts, history, culture in an entertaining and educational atmosphere.
•
8
9
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Cheick Hamala Diabate
July 9, 20199:30 pm - 11:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Bossa Bistro website “Cheick Hamala’s Griot Street Band carried the evening from beginning to end. They played two sets; one in the middle that appeared to wake everyone up, and the one that closed out the night with people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. At one point during the crazed dancing, an elderly man fell smack down on his behind from dancing so fast and then to our surprise leaped right back onto his feet without skipping a beat." — Voice of America
•
10
11
12
Elikeh
Elikeh
July 12, 20195:00 pm - 8:00 pm National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Constitution Ave NW & 7th Street, Washington, DC 20408, USA
Event Link - FREE! Local Afro-pop/jazz fusion group Elikeh provides the perfect summer soundtrack for this annual outdoor concert series.
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band
July 12, 20198:00 pm - 9:00 pm The Soundry, 10221 Wincopin Cir, Columbia, MD 21044, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $19.75 - $24.75 Chopteeth is a 12-piece Afrofunk orchestra exploring the common groove between the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African and American popular music on the planet.
The core of the Chopteeth sound is Afrobeat: a big-band funk invented by Fela Kuti in 1970’s Nigeria. Afrobeat is a spicy stew of modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music and burning, James Brown-inspired rhythms.
Chopteeth’s sets features original compositions along with updates of African dance classics, all while remaining true to the spirit of the music and its message. Band members step to the mic to serve up lyrics in a total of seven different languages.
Chopteeth, the "Crazy Fools of Afrobeat", called for rhythmic regime change on the band's award-winnnig 2008 debut CD, with its dynamic original songs. And in 2010, the band's live CD unleashed the power of Africa's Golden Age, featuring choice selections from Ghana, Senegal, Congo, Guinea, and Nigeria.
Fally Ipupa
Fally Ipupa
July 12, 20199:00 pm - 12:00 am The Howard Theatre, 620 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001, USA
Venue & Ticket Link - $70 (advance) Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Ipupa Nsimba aka Fally Ipupa aka "DiCaprio" aka "La Merveille" is a singer, songwriter and guitarist of great talent.
He was part of the group Quartier Latin for about 10 years and worked his craft with Koffi Olomide. He notably created several hits for Koffi, among them Eternellement on Force De Frappe in 2001 and Ko Ko Ko Ko on Affaire D'Etat which got him being promoted to the position of conductor despite his young age. In 2006, debuting his solo career, he delivered his first solo album Droit Chemin that sold over 100,000 copies with hits like Droit Chemin, Liputa or Kidiamfuka.
With his silky smooth voice, he has conquered the international music scene and reached the hearts of many with his music blend of various styles,such as soukous, ndombolo, pop and R&B. In 2009, his album Arsenal De Belles Mélodies was very much noticed, with hits like Chaise Électrique, a duet performed with ex G-Unit R&B singer Olivia.
His presence in the international music industry has indeed been acknowledged, in 2007, When he won Best Male Artist at the Cesaire Awards and Best Artist or Group from Central Africa at the Kora Awards. In 2009, he performed at the Africa MTV Awards, performing Bicarbonate.
With a smooth soulful voice, an impeccable sense for style and dance moves that will have the opposite sex swarming,it must be said that Fally Ipupa is a very talented, music genious who is here to stay.
• • •
13
African Cultural Experience Festival
African Cultural Experience Festival
July 13, 201911:00 am - 3:00 pm Carroll Baldwin Hall, 9035 Baltimore St, Savage, MD 20763, USA
Event Link - FREE FestivalAfrican Cultural Experience Festival celebrates diversity in our community by showing the unique Arts, Music, Fashion, Food, Games, Dance, Folktales from various countries.
You can shop, eat, drink, and dance as the activities take place.
Grab your tickets, bring your appetites, and your dancing shoes!
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Cheick Hamala Diabate
July 13, 20196:00 pm - 7:00 pm John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, USA
Event & Venue Link - FREE SHOW D.C.-based musician Cheick Hamala Diabate has long explored the connection between America’s traditions and his own griot roots. Like many American string players, including Bela Fleck with whom Diabate has collaborated and performed, Diabate noticed the eerie resemblance of his trusty n’goni and the banjo. In 2007, Diabate’s collaboration with banjo player Bob Carlin, “From Mali to America” (5-String Productions), led to a Grammy® nomination for Best Traditional World Music Album.
Uasuf Gueye
Uasuf Gueye
July 13, 20197:30 pm - 9:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Facebook Event LinkA Washington D.C. native, Uasuf Gueye blends hip hop, r&b, jazz, rock, and Manding music all played on traditional West African instruments. Come to Bossa in Adams Morgan, D.C. and enjoy the robust grooves of Uasuf Gueye accompanied by the highly talented and versatile musicians in the Urban Virtuosos band. The unique and soulful sounds will inspire a captivating and enjoyable experience. .
Rayvanny
Rayvanny
July 13, 20199:00 pm - 11:30 pm Power Nightclub, 2335 Bladensburg Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $30 RAYVANNY is an International Musician, songwriter, and dancer from Tanzania. He is signed under WCB WASAFI Records label, which is under DIAMOND PLATNUMZ leadership. RAYVANNY is best known by his hit song "Kwetu", which introduced him to the world. He later brought hits like "Chombo", "Makulusa" ft Dj Maphorisa x Dj Bucks=z, "Tetema" ft Diamond Platnumz, "Mwanza" ft Diamond Platnumz just to name a few.
He will be Performing Live all of his Hits. This is a night you don't want to miss!
• • • •
14
Elikeh
Elikeh
July 14, 20197:30 pm - 8:30 pm Reston Town Center, 11900 Market St, Reston, VA 20190, USA
Facebook Event Link - FREE show!Get ready for fun Afropop tunes as Reston Concerts on the Town presents Elikeh. With a mixture of Togolese rhythms and American-influenced blues, Elikeh's music is made for dancing. Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket and grab your spot in the Pavilion. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.
•
15
16
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Cheick Hamala Diabate
July 16, 20199:30 pm - 11:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Bossa Bistro website “Cheick Hamala’s Griot Street Band carried the evening from beginning to end. They played two sets; one in the middle that appeared to wake everyone up, and the one that closed out the night with people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. At one point during the crazed dancing, an elderly man fell smack down on his behind from dancing so fast and then to our surprise leaped right back onto his feet without skipping a beat." — Voice of America
•
17
18
Cheick Hamala Diabate's Dance Night
Cheick Hamala Diabate's Dance Night
July 18, 20197:00 pm - 9:00 pm Lake Anne Plaza, Reston VA
Born in Lome, Togo, DOGO played in different bands in the Togolese capital before acting as the leader of the band of the University in Lome. DOGO moved to the United States in 2000 and founded the DC based Afropop/Afrofunk band Elikeh. Known for their high energy live performances and original material, Elikeh released 3 albums and an EP that received rave reviews by The Washington Post, National Public Radio, World Music Central. Currently spending more time in his native country, DOGO’s first single "Von Na Agbeto" tells the story of an adopted orphan who forgot all about his adoptive family when he became wealthy. Von Na Agbeto was one of the top 3 songs on many radio charts in Togo prompting radio hosts and journalists to proclaim DOGO "L'enfant du pays" (The native son).
•
20
21
Lakou Mizik
Lakou Mizik
July 21, 20196:00 pm - 7:00 pm John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, USA
Event Venue Link - FREE SHOW Lakou Mizik is a multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians formed in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake. The group includes elder legends and rising young talents, united in a mission to honor the healing spirit of their collective culture and communicate a message of pride, strength, and hope to their countrymen and the world.
Daby Toure
Daby Toure
July 21, 20198:00 pm - 11:00 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
FB Event & Ticket Link - $15 + feesBorn in Mauritania, and raised in Senegal, Daby Touré lived for more than a quarter century in Paris before moving recently to Montreal. While his father and uncles formed the pioneering Afropop band Toure Kunda, Touré has always followed his own musical path, with influences ranging from African folk melodies and desert blues, to jazz, pop, reggae, funk and soul. Blessed with an open mind and an explorer's spirit, Touré's catchy songs are as likely to appeal to fans of African stars Habib Koité and Youssou N'Dour as they are to followers of Bob Marley, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.
Touré has shared the stage and studio with everyone from pop superstar Peter Gabriel, Algerian singer-songwriter Souad Massi, Italian folk adventurer Enzo Avitabile, African-American bluesman Skip McDonald, French pop icon Maxime LeForestier and Israeli-African collaborative The Touré-Raichel Collective.
Whether he appears solo or with his full four-piece band, Daby Touré never fails to astound audiences with his ethereal voice, masterful guitar work and catchy original songs. He illuminates the darkest of concert halls with his joyful performances and infectious love of music.
• •
22
23
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Cheick Hamala Diabate
July 23, 20199:30 pm - 11:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Bossa Bistro website “Cheick Hamala’s Griot Street Band carried the evening from beginning to end. They played two sets; one in the middle that appeared to wake everyone up, and the one that closed out the night with people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. At one point during the crazed dancing, an elderly man fell smack down on his behind from dancing so fast and then to our surprise leaped right back onto his feet without skipping a beat." — Voice of America
•
24
Vieux Farka Toure w/ Janeliasoul
Vieux Farka Toure w/ Janeliasoul
July 24, 20198:00 pm - 11:00 pm Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $25 (advance) $28 (door) Often referred to as “The Hendrix of the Sahara”, Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali in 1981. He is the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, who died in 2006. Ali Farka Touré came from a historical tribe of soldiers, and defied his parents in becoming a musician. When Vieux was in his teens, he declared that he also wanted to be a musician. His father disapproved due to the pressures he had experienced being a musician. Rather, he wanted Vieux to become a soldier. But with help from family friend the kora maestro Toumani Diabaté, Vieux eventually convinced his father to give him his blessing to become a musician shortly before Ali passed.
Vieux was initially a drummer / calabash player at Mali’s Institut National des Arts, but secretly began playing guitar in 2001. Ali Farka Touré was weakened with cancer when Vieux announced that he was going to record an album. Ali recorded a couple of tracks with him, and these recordings, which can be heard on Vieux’s debut CD, were amongst his final ones. It has been said that the senior Touré played rough mixes of these songs when people visited him in his final days, at peace with, and proud of, his son’s talent as a musician.
Since then, Vieux has gone on to find his own sound and voice, emerging as one of the most explosive and tasteful guitarists actively performing. His newest record, 'Samba', recorded live in front of a small audience at Applehead Studio in Woodstock, NY, is already being hailed by critics as Vieux's finest, most well-rounded and mature album to date. With each new project, Vieux expands his horizons, embraces new challenges and further entrenches his reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.
July 26, 20197:30 pm - 8:30 pm U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $20 Ibibio Sound Machine is a clash of African and electronic elements. The band claims their sound is inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West African funk and disco, modern post-punk, and electro.
The name of the band itself finds influence from Eno Williams' mother, whose native tongue was Ibibio. While Williams was born in London, she spent most of her childhood in Nigeria with the rest of her family. Her mother often recounted numerous folk and children's stories from her own heritage and passed them on to her daughter. Williams took this inspiration and crafted lyrics from these sources and married them to modern themes.
•
27
Afro Shutdown 2019
Afro Shutdown 2019
July 27, 20199:00 pm - July 28, 20193:30 am Karma DC Live Music Venue, 2221 Adams Pl NE, Washington, DC 20018, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $40 -$200 StarbuzzTV and Dwood Productions presents... The biggest African Rave you been waiting for is happening right here in the US Capital FEATURING:
Kuami Eugene Kidi Medikal
18+ Ladies / 21+ Gentlemen
•
28
Afro Shutdown 2019
Afro Shutdown 2019
July 27, 20199:00 pm - July 28, 20193:30 am Karma DC Live Music Venue, 2221 Adams Pl NE, Washington, DC 20018, USA
Event & Ticket Link - $40 -$200 StarbuzzTV and Dwood Productions presents... The biggest African Rave you been waiting for is happening right here in the US Capital FEATURING:
Kuami Eugene Kidi Medikal
18+ Ladies / 21+ Gentlemen
•
29
30
Cheick Hamala Diabate
Cheick Hamala Diabate
July 30, 20199:30 pm - 11:30 pm Bossa Bistro & Lounge, 2463 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA
Bossa Bistro website “Cheick Hamala’s Griot Street Band carried the evening from beginning to end. They played two sets; one in the middle that appeared to wake everyone up, and the one that closed out the night with people of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. At one point during the crazed dancing, an elderly man fell smack down on his behind from dancing so fast and then to our surprise leaped right back onto his feet without skipping a beat." — Voice of America