Kakande w/Mory Kante

I'm at it again. Time to promote the stuff I'm promoting. In this case, Kakande with Mory Kante.

Kakande will be playing Johnny D's featuring a guest appearance by Mory Kante! This concert is a CD Release Party for much anticipated new album Dununya.

Mory Kante is an international super star from Guinea, West Africa, and rarely backs anyone up. However, Kakande (led by Famoro Dioubate from Guinea) has touched Mory so much that he'll be appearing with them for this show.

"Kakande takes a unique approach to Mande music—acoustic, kinetic, textured and grooving. Dioubate's virtuosic balafon riffing is rightly front and center, backed harmonically by a sweet blend of electric guitar (Mamady Kouyate), cello (Raoul Rothblatt), flute (Sylvain Leroux)
and sax (Avram Fefer). These players step out occasionally, but mostly hang with the crisp rhythm section, creating textures that work as well in a dark, roiling jam like "Paya Paya," as on a slow, mellifluous praise song like "Mariama Traoré.""
- Afropop Worldwide's Review of Kakande's album "Dununya"
(http://www.afropop.org/explore/album_review/ID/3433/

Come on out and have a great time! More details below.

Press Release:
On Thursday February 21th, Johnny D's presents Kakande, a 9-piece West African band based out of NYC, celebrating the release of their much anticipated album, Dununya (http://www.JumbieRecords.com). The West African music scene has been steadily growing in the U.S. in recent
years and it is sure to explode when this groundbreaking new disc hits stores. To celebrate Dununya's release, African superstar Mory Kante will join Kakande on stage, in a rare U.S. appearance, and an once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this legendary musician supporting another group.

Kakande is a 9-piece collective that demonstrates how the balafon (xylophone) has electrified African music for 800 years. Lush vocals, flutes, sinewy guitars, cellos and countless melodic textures are propelled by the power of Famoro Dioubate's balafon virtuosity. Layers of intricate melody come together in Kakande to create this explosive
new groove. Mory Kante's support for the group is remarkable, especially since he was the first African artist to sell a million CDs (see http://www.MoryKante.com).

February 21th will be a historic chance to join Kakande and Mory Kante as Boston writes a new chapter in the history of griot music.

Who: Kakande with special guest Mory Kante

What: CD release for new album Dununya

Where: Johnny D's
17 Holland St.
Somerville, MA 02144
617-776-2004

When: Thursday Feb. 21, 2008

Price: $15 advance/$18 door
Advance Tickets at: http://kakande.eventbrite.com/