World Music Institute Presents 3 African Shows in September

WORLD MUSIC INSTITUTE presents three African shows in September!

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 with Super Yamba Band

Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

Brooklyn Bowl
61 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn
Part of WMI's Masters of African Music series

Seun Kuti continues the political ethos of his late father, Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, as the leader of his father's band Egypt 80, adding his own twist to the music and digging into African traditions to reflect the continent's struggles and traditions.

Tickets $20, Standing room only

Co-presented with Brooklyn Bowl

Mdou Moctar
Thursday, September 28, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Street, Manhattan
Part of WMI's Desert Blues series
New York debut of Moctar and his band
The Tuareg guitarist with the unconventional style is one of the few original singer/songwriters willing to experiment and push the boundaries of the genre.
Free Admission; Limited unreserved seating

Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center

Group Doueh

with Innov Gnawa

Friday, September 29, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

(le) poisson rouge
158 Bleecker St, Manhattan
Part of WMI's Desert Blues series Group Doueh's second only United States tour
The legendary Group Doueh was founded in the '80s and has been playing in and around their native Dakhla, the capital of the Moroccan administrative region
Dakla-Oued Ed-Dahad in the Western Sahara, ever since.
NY-based Moroccan collective Innov Gnawa opens the show.
$30 advance/$35 day of show | 18+
Standing room only with limited unreserved seating

From World Music Institute Artistic Director Par Neiburger:

"We continue our Masters of African Music and Desert Blues concert series with Seun Kuti, the son of Afrobeat legendary Fela Kuti, leading his father's band Egypt 80; the second ever New York concert from the Saharawi music of Group Doueh; and the first ever New York concert from Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar and his band. All three of these artists present some of the best music the African continent has to offer. We continue to bring established artists, artists that are rarely seen by New York audiences, and artists that we have the distinct pleasure of bringing here for the first time." Masters of African Music
Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
with Super Yamba Band

Opening act: Super Yamba Band
Co-presented with Brooklyn Bowl
Seun Kuti is the youngest son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. At the age of nine, Seun expressed the wish to sing to his father. A short while later, Seun started performing with his father and his band, until his father's untimely death in 1997. Seun, then only 14 years old, assumed the role as lead singer of his late father's band, Egypt 80. Ever since then, Seun has followed the political and social ethos of his father, adding his own twist to the music and digging deep into various African traditions to reflect the continent's struggles and traditions. Seun has since toured the world and released multiple acclaimed albums. About three quarters of the current Egypt 80 line-up consists of musicians that not only played with Fela Kuti, but also often were arrested and harassed alongside the founder of the Afrobeat movement as they forged their way through political turmoil to become one of the most legendary bands in the history of African music.

Brooklyn's Super Yamba Band, the opening act, comprises a unique blend of inspiration born of 70s/80s West-African Afrobeat and Psychedelic Funk, with a live energy that moves everyone in the room to dance.

Desert Blues
Thursday, September 28, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

Mdou Moctar

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
Presented in collaboration with Lincoln Center

This concert at Lincoln Center will be The New York City premiere of Mdou Moctar and his band. In the somewhat crowded scene of Tuareg guitarists, Mdou Moctar stands apart from his peers. One of the few original singer/songwriters willing to experiment and push the boundaries of the genre, his unconventional styles have won him accolades both in Niger and abroad. Mdou hails from Abalak, located in the Azawagh desert of Niger. A self-taught guitar player, he released his first album Anar in 2008 and it became an instant success throughout the MP3 networks of West Africa. In 2013, he released his first international album, Afelan on the Sahel Sounds record label, featuring rocking and raw sessions recorded live in his hometown in Niger. Mdou also starred in the first ever Tuareg language film, a fictional story of the struggle of a guitarist trying to make it, against all odds, in Agadez.

Desert Blues
Friday, September 29, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

Group Doueh with Innov Gnawa

(le) poisson rouge

The legendary Group Doueh was founded in the 1980s and has been playing in and around their native Dakhla, the capital of the Morrocan administrative region Dakla-Oued Ed-Dahad in the Western Sahara, ever since. Doueh, the founder and leader, is a master on the electric guitar. His sound is distorted, loud and unhinged, with an impressive display of virtuosity and style. Group Doueh has a powerful presence in their live performances, entrancing their audiences with their raw and unfiltered Saharawi music from the former colonial Spanish outpost of the Western Sahara. With Doueh's electric guitar brilliance and the soaring vocal interplay of his wife Halima Jakani and friend Bashiri Touballi, Group Doueh powerfully performs songs from the sung poetry of the Hassania language.

This World Music Institute show is part of Group Doueh's second only United States tour.

Opening for Group Doueh will be Innov Gnawa, a local young musical collective dedicated to exploring Morocco's venerable gnawa music tradition in NYC.

WMI Plus Event on October 2 at 7:00 p.m at The New School (55 W 13th St):

Film screening of "Oulaya's Wedding," a documentary about the week-long celebration of Doueh and Halima's eldest daughter, Oulaya. Rich and intimate, this beautiful film provides an insightful look at not only the lavish wedding celebration of the daughter of the leader of Group Doueh but also the lives of the people of Dakhla -their music, ceremonies, and homes. Followed by a Q&A with director Hisham Mayet.

Upcoming WMI Concerts

Origins
October 1, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Alash Ensemble
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
$25/$35

Global Local
October 6, 2017, 8 p.m.
Brooklyn Raga Massive performs Terry Riley's "In C"
(le) poisson rouge
Seated Tickets: $25 advance/$30 day of show
Standing Room Tickets: $20 advance/$25 day of show

Masters of Indian Music
October 8, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
Ustad Nishat Khan
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center
$35/$45

Origins
October 14, 2017, 8 p.m
Flamenco Legends: The Paco De Lucía Project
Symphony Space
$35/$45/$55

For the complete 2017-2018 season schedule, please visit www.worldmusicinstitute.org.