(Femi
Koya)
In association with Concerts SA, Afrobeat
saxophonist Femi Koya releases his new album, Village Afrobeat, and presents it live on a national tour which
includes Durban.
Music composer and performer, versatile
saxophonist and dynamic vocalist, Femi Koya released his third album entitled Village Afrobeat (Femzee Productions,
2018) on April 20, 2018.
The Village
Afrobeat national album release tour commenced in Cape Town in May. Now at
the end of July, the tour hits Durban - with performances at The Chairman and
Jazzy Rainbow. (It will move on to Gauteng to the African Beer Emporium).
Born in Nigeria and based in South Africa, Koya
is the new face of the African Renaissance. He combines West African highlife
and jazz, South African Sophiatown with nostalgic Afrobeat root sounds and his
music is a rich blend of deep and sultry Afrobeat and contemporary groove.
“I believe that Africa will have its true
homecoming when people see themselves as first and foremost African. Until then
I will continue to make music suggestive of this homecoming and what the future
holds for Africans united. It is our destiny”, says Koya.
His new album is an African party, jazzed
up with Afrobeat’s horn arrangements, with talking drum and percussions driving
the African heartbeat. Songs such as Babalawo,
Lerato, Alo and Kongo enable new
generations to understand the significance of these narratives as well as
providing a nostalgic look at village culture and its life lessons.
Koya says: “These songs tell stories of
what happens in villages and especially in fables, with animals like the
tortoise, the role of the town criers, village men and women as part of the
whole village lifestyle. The songs also depict nature, fertility, rituals,
change of seasons and traditions essential to village life.”
Koya’s band is comprised of himself on sax
and vocals, Maxwell Baloyi on keyboards, Olusegun Oyedele on talking drum,
Peter Adesola on trombone, Karo Ndoite on guitar, Seun Adebari on drums, Felix
Arimoro on flugelhorn, Lanre Kununji on trumpet and Gabriel Atabe on bass.
The musical influences that can be found in
Village Afrobeat include Fela Kuti,
Bob Marley, Manu Dibango, Hugh Masekela and Baaba Maal. About the title of the
album, he says: “Some say Africa is a village. I say let us then unite Africans
through the metaphor of a village. Some say we are going back to our roots,
Africa. I carry my root along with me into the future”.
The Village
Afrobeat album is available in digital online stores like iTunes, Spotify
and Amazon. Physical CDs can be bought at Musica and CNA. Copies of the new CD
will also be on sale at the performances.
Femi Koya Village Afrobeat Tour is
supported by Concerts SA through the Music Mobility Fund, a funding mechanism
which offers opportunities for South African musicians to undertake live music
tours.
Durban Events Listing:
July 21, 2018, at 23h00 at The Chairman,146
Mahatma Ghandi Road, Durban. Entry R150. Bookings: info@thechairmanlive.com /
079 753 6313
July 22, 2018, at 16h30 at The Jazzy
Rainbow, 93 Smiso Nkwanyana Road, Morningside, Durban. Entrance R100 (drink
included). Bookings: jazzyrainbow@mweb.co.za / 031 303 8398
For more information visit www.femikoya.com
Posts
