Gangbe Brass Band, 9pm.
New Goove Series at Performance Works
$18
Dressed in voluminous, colourful boubous, wearing traditional tarbooshes or fez, they shout, sing, and dance as once their ancestors did during traditional funerary ceremonies they glide effortlessly from high-life to the melting pot style of Osibisa while simultaneously making subtle incursions into the JuJu country of King Sunny Ade....Another Nigerian giant, Fela, is present in the inspiration of the Gangbe Brass Band, especially in the melodic architecture of the horn section. Le Soleil. This ten-piece brass and percussion ensemble from the West African nation of Benin formed in 1994 to create an unusual fusion of traditional styles with a modern edge. The high-energy band combines ancient Yoruba songs, voodoo rhythms, jazz and Afro-pop into an explosive and riotous mix of song and dance. Whendo (Contre Jour), the group's third release, prompted www.calabashmusic.com to write, Gangbe Brass Band's music is equally close to New Orleans and Lagos. Their rich brass sound is backed by a battery of percussion and warm melodic call and response vocals. These elements are quite sophisticated one minute and deliciously rootsy the next.