FELA! Star Duain Richmond to Launch Musical Collective Sacred Noise Unknown
The LA-based supergroup features members of Antibalas, AMAYO, and La Misa Negra, debuting at Venice's LA Jazz Festival.
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After years portraying one of music's most influential visionaries on stage, Duain Richmond is embarking on a new artistic journey.
The Broadway performer, who starred as Fela Anikulapo Kuti in FELA!, has launched Sacred Noise Unknown (SNX), an Afrobeat-inspired musical collective that will make its public debut on August 21 as part of the inaugural LA Jazz Festival Caribbean Street Carnival in Venice, California. The performance is part of the festival's 17-day celebration, which is expected to welcome more than 250,000 attendees.
Rather than revisiting his acclaimed portrayal of Fela Kuti, Richmond describes Sacred Noise Unknown as a natural artistic evolution rooted in Afrobeat while embracing Afrobeats, highlife, jazz, funk, and the broader musical traditions of the African diaspora. The collective aims to create what Richmond calls a "borderless musical conversation," honoring tradition while remaining open to new creative possibilities.
"The collective allows music lovers and artists to come together and have an open space to fulfill creativeness—and to connect with the power of music," Richmond said. "You can look at us as The Avengers because we all have our superpowers and it's beautiful when we can all come together as a collective and have a spiritual movement."
Richmond, who was born in Sierra Leone and raised in the United States, has built a career spanning theater, film, television, and music. In addition to FELA!, his credits include Stomp the Yard, Drumline: A New Beat, Daddy's Little Girls, and numerous television appearances.
Helping shape the ensemble is Los Angeles-based musical director, arranger, and baritone saxophonist Leah Concialdi. Together they have assembled a multinational collective featuring performers, educators, dancers, designers, and producers. Mainstay collaborators include Aimée Wodobodé, an original Broadway cast member of FELA!, Nigerian-American singer-songwriter Lily Ogé, guitarist Marcos Garcia, drummer Tosin Aribisala, bassist Greg Bryant, tenor saxophonist Lidia Rodriguez, and percussionist Roberto Navarro, whose collective résumés include work with Antibalas, AMAYO, Concurrence, La Misa Negra, and Buyepongo.
According to Richmond, the name Sacred Noise Unknown reflects the ensemble's mission: "Sacred" represents ancestry, purpose, and community; "Noise" symbolizes celebration, disruption, and movement; while "Unknown" embraces possibility, discovery, and the stories still waiting to be told.
Sacred Noise Unknown will make its debut at the LA Jazz Festival's Caribbean Street Carnival on August 21, introducing audiences to the first chapter of a new project rooted in Afrobeat, storytelling, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Photo Credit: Sheldon Botler | Download hi-res
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