With the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival going all weekend long in Armstrong Park and the Mardi Gras Indians parading on Saturday night and Super Sunday, Tipitina’s is right on the money with their booking Friday night.
Headliners Gov’t Majik play music inspired by and written by Fela Kuti, the legendary Nigerian Afrobeat artist. This is a polyrhythmic eleven-piece band with a monster horn section all led by bassist Bru Bruser.
Bru informs me that the horn section will welcome back two players who were part of the band back in the day. Saxophonists Allen Dejan and Khari Lee will join regular trumpeters Antonio Gambrell and Ricio Fruge.
The guitar section is also killer with Raja Kassis, a new New Orleanian who is a member of Antibalas—the band that played in the Broadway show about Fela’s life—and guitar-man-about-town Danny Abel. Luke Quaranta (from Toubab Krewe and Pirate’s Choice) is a recent addition to the band on percussion.
The opener Pirate’s Choice, which also features Kassis, will have two special guests, heavy-hitting African cats in from New Tork—Yacouba Sissoko on kora and Morcoumba Gueyeon sabar drums.
As an added special treat, Bruser and Kassis will do a mini-set with their new band, Full Orangutan at the end of the show. With this many amazing African and African-inspired musicians in the house, the sky’s the limit as far as the jamming is concerned.
