Toubab Krewe - fantastic band!!

[carenkh]

I saw Toubab Krewe perform last night... what an experience!! I've seen them before, and every time I come away energized and totally high from dancing and dancing, and getting lost in the rhythms. They're magic. Go see 'em if you can!

Here's a video of them playing at Bonnaroo.

[wolfgang]

Originally Posted by the band web site

Asheville, N.C., may not seem like a stronghold for African-rooted music, but Toubab Krewe has soaked up the patterns and rhythms of music from Mali, Zimbabwe, Congo, Brazil and the Caribbean and added a hint of Jerry Garcia’s legato guitar. One guitarist doubled on Malian instruments — kora and ngoni — and two drummers played interludes of planned unison rhythms like a Brazilian sambareggae percussion unit. Instead of free-form, jam-band leads, the guitarists expanded the songs with African-style patterns, circling and subtly shifting. The six-beat grooves sneaked up on listeners but then they took hold; midway through one song, two, then four, then dozens of dancers were suddenly bobbing to the music.

sounds like I need to give them a listen!

Might be interesting this spot on them from xnpr:
Toubab Krewe: All the World at Once : NPR Music

[carenkh]

One thing that really impresses me about them is that they truly immersed themselves in the music of West Africa, and they honor their teachers when they play. Many people get accused of "stealing" music from other cultures, but they learned and learned about it, then made it their own. They understand the history and meaning of the music.

And as I'm typing that, I'm wondering if that matters... I mean, what's different from that and someone just hearing some West African drumming then riffing on that without the understanding? Oops - sorry for the random thought.

But I do appreciate that about them.