Wood Dragons! Youssoupha Sidibe, Chris Berryʻs Bana Kuma & Fanye!

From 5-6pm $10 We have Youssoupha Sidibe, a Senegalese West African Kora (African Harp) player. Throw  out all your  ideas of what a harpist is, Youssoupha breaks out of  traditional Kora  styles many hundreds of years old, to create a new  style that has never  been heard before, blending aspects of Reggae and western music.  Through  many collaborations, and countless performances over the course  of 25  years, Youssoupha has developed thousands of fans all over the  world. He  has performed and recorded with many exceptional  musicians.Grammy nominated for his collaboration with Matisyahu (Youth),  he has released  albums with the late Charles Neville (Tree of Life),  Midnite (For All),  Steve Kimock, and a duet with Michael Franti (What I  be), and performed  live with India Arie, Bela Fleck and the  Flecktones, Michael Kang of  String Cheese Incident, Chris Berry Trio,  Shimshai, and many others.

From 6-8 ($20) We have Organic Ecstatic, as Chris Berry joins the Bana Kuma Band for  eve filled with the polyrythmic harmonies of South Africa, from Djembe  & Mbira, Bass Marimba, dueling Dun Duns, hosho shakers, immersive  call and response vocals and more. Expect an intricate and  transformational collaborative experience that shakes you at the root  and embodies the ancient and powerful purpose of music for deeply  healing medicine through movement.

Grammy award winner Chris Berry is an  eclectic singer and songwriter, multi-instrumentalist virtuoso, and  high-energy performer and teacher.  Chris has been sharing his  Afro-infused sound around the World for over twenty years, releasing  over a dozen albums; scoring the soundtrack to three films; and  collaborating and performing with some of the World’s best performers  (Eminem, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Senegalese Afro-Pop  sensation Yousoou N’dour, Cuban Legends Los Munequitos de Mantanzas,  Jazz artist Paul Winter, Jamaican rhythm and production duo Sly (Dunbar)  and Robbie (Shakespeare), Fugee’s producer Handel Tucker, and many  more). Chris began his  apprenticeship in California with Master Drummer Titos Sompa, followed  by a ten year journey to Africa during the Mugabe Regime in the ghettos  and villages of Zimbabwe, studying the music of the Shona people. Chris  found his voice in the culture of all-night Mbira Ceremonies,  and upon  forming the hit band Panjea was encouraged to create his own style fusing Funk with elements of Hip-Hop, Afro-Pop, and traditional African music.

“Chris Berry picked up where Paul  Simon left off... The conscious lyrics are a road map for humanity and  Chris is one of the few people able to carry this message to a wide  audience.”~ Michael Kang from String Cheese Incident

“Carrying the torch for tomorrow”~ Harry Belafonte

“This sh-+ is _-ckin crazy!” - Eminem

Then,  from 8-10pm we have Fanye Afro Euphoric led by Gabriel Fara Tolno.   Fara is one of the most influential African artists of this generation,  actively increasing the professional recognition of African Music and  Dance in North America. He brings an innovative perspective, steeped in  his knowledge of Guinean culture, while his energetic and compassionate  teaching style makes him one of the most sought after drum and dance  instructors in the United States. As a solo artist, Fara has performed  with many of the world’s premier musicians including Mamady Keita,  Burning Spear, Neil Young, Sekouba Bambino, BB King, Otis Taylor, Joe  Cocker, Youssou N’Dour, Salif Keita, Habibe Koite, and many more. He has  been a member of many different bands and assisted with many musical  recording projects and shows throughout the nation.

Born  in Guinea, West Africa, Fara began playing the djembe drum at the age  of nine, moving quickly to the lead drummer for the National Ballet Les  Merveilles de Guinea (The Wonders of Guinea) under the tutelage of West  Africa’s most influential director and choreographer, Kemoko Sano. Fara  is avid about sharing his culture, teaching, and playing with musicians  of all kinds, and founding multiple organizations,  including Project Drum (focused on bringing West African music and  dance into schools), the Rhythm Reference Project (an online library,  www.rhythmreference.com), Camp Merveilles (an annual nationwide music  and dance conference in the US), Djembe Guru (an online school for West  African Rythyms  at www.djembe.guru) and the Kissidugu Foundation (hosting annual workshops with international  students in Guinea at the Kissidugu School as well as building a campus  for the local community www.kissidugu.org).