The World Music Institute and 92nd Street Y Present KING SUNNY ADE & HIS AFRICAN BEATS, 6/26
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 20, 2015
The World Music Institute and 92nd Street Y announce a rare U.S. appearance by Nigerian superstar King Sunny Adé & His African Beats on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. at 92Y, to kick off WMI's 30th Anniversary Season, the first curated by recently appointed artistic director Par Neiburger.
Tickets for this concert, which range from $45-$65 - with 35 & Under tickets available for $25 - are available at both 92Y (www.92Y.org, 212.415.5500) and WMI (www.worldmusicinstitute.org, 212.545.7536).
Legendary singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and master of Nigeria's hugely popularJuju music, King Sunny Adé and His African Beats-a cadre of 17 musicians and singers and a rotation of 5 dancers-return to the United States for the first time since 2009. The concert is part of a North American tour that will see Adé travel to over 35 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Montreal. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of all time, a trio of breakthrough recordings-including his 1982 album Juju Music released by Chris Blackwell's Island Records-gained Adé a world-wide following and labeling as "The African Bob Marley." Adé, a two-time Grammy nominee and pioneer of world beat, has earned critical praise over his five-decade career for refraining from westernizing his sound-remaining loyal to Juju stylings while releasing more than 120 albums and still innovating with the use of such varied instruments as pedal-steel guitar and synthesizers. "Adé made his mark on Juju music early on, but since then, he's resisted the fads and fashions of four tumultuous decades. That confidence and fidelity is what makes him a king, not a mere politician," wrote NPR in 2009. An electrified version of traditional, acoustic Yoruban music, with added breadth and inclusiveness that cross ethnic distinctions, Adé's lush and groove-driven sound is led by the iconic talking drums, mass African percussion, chanting vocals and guitar lines resulting in a hypnotic dance party-emblematic of one of his Nigerian nicknames, "Minister of Enjoyment."
Legendary singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and master of Nigeria's hugely popularJuju music, King Sunny Adé and His African Beats-a cadre of 17 musicians and singers and a rotation of 5 dancers-return to the United States for the first time since 2009. The concert is part of a North American tour that will see Adé travel to over 35 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Montreal. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of all time, a trio of breakthrough recordings-including his 1982 album Juju Music released by Chris Blackwell's Island Records-gained Adé a world-wide following and labeling as "The African Bob Marley." Adé, a two-time Grammy nominee and pioneer of world beat, has earned critical praise over his five-decade career for refraining from westernizing his sound-remaining loyal to Juju stylings while releasing more than 120 albums and still innovating with the use of such varied instruments as pedal-steel guitar and synthesizers. "Adé made his mark on Juju music early on, but since then, he's resisted the fads and fashions of four tumultuous decades. That confidence and fidelity is what makes him a king, not a mere politician," wrote NPR in 2009. An electrified version of traditional, acoustic Yoruban music, with added breadth and inclusiveness that cross ethnic distinctions, Adé's lush and groove-driven sound is led by the iconic talking drums, mass African percussion, chanting vocals and guitar lines resulting in a hypnotic dance party-emblematic of one of his Nigerian nicknames, "Minister of Enjoyment."
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