“In the band’s dizzyingly gorgeous horn lines, rolling vamps carry sunny African chorales, and polyrhythmic voodoo grooves host harmonies that slide in all directions at once. The music just plain sings.” —New York Times
Hailing from the West African nation of Benin, the eight-piece Gangbé Brass Band (the sound of
metal) assembles trumpets, saxes, trombones, sousaphone, and metal bell percussion that exemplifies the amalgam of musical inspiration percolating in the region. Their horn arrangements belie a gamut of influences, from Nigerian Afrobeat and American jazz to Cuban mambo and New Orleans marching bands. Singing in multiple indigenous languages in addition to French, the band creates rhythms firmly rooted in the voodoo culture of their ancestors—an inspired sound that personifies the global nature of Africa now. Copresented with the Walker Art Center.
Jack Brass Band will be performing some pre-show tunes out on the patio (weather-permitting).
This performance will be broadcast live on KFAI -90.3FM Minneapolis and 106.7FM Saint Paul.
