Fela Kuti News

With more than 1,000 artists and more than 500 free events in three new sunlit pavilions and more than 130,000 square feet of new landscaped green space at the nation's cultural capital, the REACH opens its doors in exactly one month's time with 16 full days of creativity in action, providing artists and audiences with the opportunity to experience art as never before. Marking the first expansion at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in its 48-year history, the REACH welcomes the public with an inclusive, multi-genre, multidisciplinary Opening Festival on September 7a?"22. See the video trailer here.

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is in full swing this month, with a diverse set of shows taking place in Central Park and across New York City. For the most up-to-date scheduling and lineup for all SummerStage programming, visit www.SummerStage.org for all festival information.

Asbury Park based band Lowlight have announced the release of their 2nd full-length album, Endless Bummer, out September 13 via Telegraph Hill Records. Additionally, they have released their track “Horsefoot” via XS Noise. 

They have held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for over 50 years, playing music that is nothing less than a vibrant living history. Whether tapping into New Orleans' Afro-Cuban roots on their last recording, or providing a "joyous, wide-ranging account…crammed with fascinating facts and toe-tickling tunes" (New York Times) in the award winning award-winning documentary "A Tuba to Cuba," Dixieland jazz - a deeply American music - is deepened further in their capable hands. The Harris Center is proud to welcome them back to Folsom.

Ibibio Sound Machine released their new album Doko Mien this spring on Merge Records, and today they have shared four infectious playlists in advance of their U.S. headline tour. Each of the four playlists were curated by a different band member and are as funky and worldly as the band themselves. Read more on each playlist below, and all of the playlists can be found now via the Ibibio Sound Machine Spotify page.

The 2019 Bard SummerScape festival presents a pair of important new dance and theater works next month. On July 5-7, Evidence, A Dance Company and its founder and artistic director, Ronald K. Brown, make their festival debut with the world premiere of Grace and Mercy. A new SummerScape commission, this two-part program pairs Grace (live), a 20th-anniversary version of Brown's soulful masterpiece Grace, now danced entirely to live music performed by Peven Everett, Gordon Chambers, and others, with the world premiere of Mercy, Brown's new companion piece, which is set to a brand-new score written and performed live by ten-time Grammy-nominee Meshell Ndegeocello.

City Parks Foundation, in partnership with iStar, are thrilled to announce that Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is returning to the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn this summer for six free concerts between June and August.

This fall, artists and audiences from the Washington, D.C. area, the U.S., and around the globe come together at the nation's cultural capital to dance, sing, create, collaborate, listen, learn, talk, share, and celebrate the opening of the REACH, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts's unprecedented new expansion. At a preview event today, May 29, which marks both President Kennedy's 102nd birthday and 100 days until the historic opening, the Kennedy Center unveiled preliminary details of the free 16-day REACH Opening Festival on September 7-22.

Edinburgh International Festival returns for its 73rd year on 2 - 26 August 2019, bringing the best of theatre, music and dance from across the world to Scotland's capital.

Producer Rick Murray will present the 2019 Cabaret at the Crown Series in Provincetown, MA this summer at The Crown & Anchor's Paramount Theatre and Town Hall Auditorium.  Tickets are now on sale for the Series, in which an impressive list of award-winning stars will be performing live in full concerts.  Following up on last summer's smash hit season, the 2019 Cabaret Series will include the talents of comedians Lisa Lampanelli, Margaret Cho, and Sandra Bernhard, as well as Broadway stars Lucie Arnaz (They're Playing Our Song, Pippin), Lillias White (The Life), Linda Lavin (Broadway Bound, Gypsy), Lorna Luft (Promises, Promises), John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys), Linda Eder (Jekyll and Hyde), and television favorites Leslie Jordan (The Cool Kids, Will and Grace) and Fran Drescher (The Nanny).

Taking place across 1st-4th August in the sun-soaked setting of Portugal's Algarve region, Afro Nationannounces the sensational second wave line up for its inaugural event celebrating all things afrobeats, hip-hop, UK rap, reggae and dancehall. Tickets sold out for the festival in a matter of weeks but fans now have another chance to snap up a place to party on the golden sands of Portimao with the launch of its resale campaign.

Let's Dance International Frontiers - LDIF19 - launches on April 29th - International Dance Day - and focuses on diversity in dance by showcasing new work from emerging local talent and internationally acclaimed performers and companies. LDIF19's theme is Black Dance: A Contemporary Voice, which will be the focal point of discussion at the conference on April 30th.

The Apollo Theater, in partnership with World Music Institute, presents African dancehall artists Patoranking (Nigeria), Seyi Shay (Nigeria), Buffalo Souljah (Zimbabwe), and Afrobeat sensation Kaleta & Super Yamba Band (Benin/Nigeria) as part of AFRICA NOW! hosted by Young Prince and music by DJ mOma. The 7th annual collaboration returns to the legendary Apollo stage on Saturday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m. This year's concert, a highlight of the Apollo's season, celebrates not only the best of today's African contemporary music but spotlights how the music of the diaspora has impacted the continent.

The State Theatre has announced that the critically acclaimed Nigerian musical play, Fela and The Kalakuta Queens, will grace its stage in March and April this year.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. It's that time of year again. It's time for the most highly anticipated and largest Black History Month celebration in Los Angeles, if not, the largest in California.

Joe's Pub, a program and venue of The Public Theater, announces the new class of Joe's Pub Working Group (JPWG), the venue's artist development program dedicated to enhancing the career sustainability and growth of performing artists. Entering its fifth year, JPWG welcomes five artists performer and songwriter Migguel Anggelo, composter and vocalist Trevor Bachman, comedian and performance artist Becca Blackwell, jazz musician and composer Yacine Boulares, and singer-songwriter Treya Lam as the core group that represents the diversity and scope of the nightly programming at Joe's Pub.

Multi-GRAMMY Award-winning composer/pianist/educator Arturo O'Farrill and the non-profit The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance (ALJA) are thrilled to announce NYC's premier Afrobeat concert of 2019, ALJO + AFROBEAT = FELA!, featuring O'Farrill and his 18-piece Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO) alongside Tony Award-Nominated Sahr Ngaujah (lead actor in the Tony-winning Broadway musical, Fela!). Today's singular forbearers of the Afrobeat genre take to the stage with O'Farrill to debut big band jazz arrangements of Fela Anikulapo Kuti's classic works as well as innovative collaborations with special guest artists Wunmi (vocals), Tosin Aribisala (drums/vocals), Bryan Vargas (guitar), and DJ Ausar. Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Fela!'s Broadway premiere in 2009, ALJO + AFROBEAT = FELA! will be presented in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre @ Symphony Space on January 25 & 26, 2019. Artist interviews are available upon request.

El-Trip aka Earth Leakage Trip has released his brand new EP, titled 'Going To The Moon' via NexGen Music. One of the original pioneers of UK hardcore and techno, in 1991 El-Trip appeared on the debut release of award-winning label Moving Shadow Records and went on to release with many other highly influential labels, including Rising High Records and LTJ Bukem's Cookin' Records. On top of this, El-Trip has collaborated with many legends in the electronic music scene such as Aluna Francis, of acclaimed duo AlunaGeorge, during the time of one of her first, and highly acclaimed, projects, My Toys Like Me. El-Trip's music has been featured on many prestigious compilations, including the iconic 'Kaos Theory' compilation series featuring The Prodigy, Acen, Altern-8, 4-Hero, Hackney Hardcore and Shut Up & Dance, the 'Fifty Years Of Sunshine' compilation featuring Dr. Timothy Leary, Love Spirals Downwards, Psychic TV and Hawkwind, a compilation by Orbital featuring John Barry, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, PJ Harvey, The Divine Comedy and Tangerine Dream, and many more.

The Barbican today announces its full January to June 2019 Theatre and Dance programme. Tickets for the season go on sale to Barbican Members Plus on Wednesday 17 October, to Barbican Members on Friday 19 October and on general sale on Friday 26 October 2018.

Broad Fest returns on Sunday, September 2, 2018. This free outdoor event features music and dance, activities for kids and adults, plus snacks, sweets and food available for purchase. Members and subscribers, local families, college students and arts enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy an array of musical performances, DJ music and dance floor, drumming, movies and more.