From: "helene browning" <helenebrowningpr@xxxxxxxxx>
*Robert Browning Associates presents*
*celebrating 41 years of presenting world music events in NYC*
*Concert/dance party with acclaimed band that brings new life to Haitian
roots music*
*LAKOU MIZIK*
*with special guest **PAUL BEAUBRUN*
**
*HAITIAN ROOTS & GROOVES*
*Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 8:00pm*
*Roulette*
*509 Atlantic Ave at 3rd Ave near BAM & Barclays Center, Downtown Brooklyn*
*Tickets:** $25; students, seniors $21 **roulette.org
<http://roulette.org/>,* *917-267-0363*
*Videos – Lakou Mizik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwXTm3U5buA
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwXTm3U5buA>*
*Paul Beaubrun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVZEUy2gJi8&t=124s
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVZEUy2gJi8&t=124s>*
*Info & tickets: http://www.robertbrowningassociates.com/lakou-mizik.html
<http://www.robertbrowningassociates.com/lakou-mizik.html>*
*“The music kicked in and they damn near levitated the
place….irresistible.” – Songlines*
*“a genial cross-generational coalition along the lines of the Buena Vista
Social Club….hearty call-and-response vocal harmonies…galloping, exultant
dance grooves.” – New York Times*
*“The sound of Vodou drummers, Rara horns and an accordionist blend into a
soulful and party-oriented rasin experience, an Afro-Soca Carnival vibe of
the highest order.” - NPR*
*Lakou Mizik* (“Music from the Homeland”) is a powerhouse multigenerational
collective from Haiti that blends *twoubadou*, *Vodou, rara* carnival
music, and urban soul. With such legends as master drummer Sanba Zao, and
rising stars Steeve Valcourt and Jonas Attis, the group performs an
exhilarating mix of traditional and modern roots music. The members of
Lakou Mizik range in age from the early twenties to the late sixties and
come from across Haiti's musical, social, religious, and geographic
spectra. Formed in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, they
communicate a message of pride, strength and hope. Opening the show and
joining the band for a few songs will be the remarkable singer/guitarist
*Paul
Beaubrun, *son of two founding members of the legendary Boukman
Eksperyans. He
has performed in many of America's top venues alongside such artists as
Lauryn Hill, Jackson Browne, Sheryl Crow, and David Byrne, and in 2015
recorded the *Vilnerab* album, which soared to #1 on iTunes in the World
Music category. This concert is dedicated to master drummer Frisner
Augustin, who was a major force in preserving and popularizing Haitian
music in the US.
Lakou Mizik is composed of *Steeve Valcourt*, son of Haitian musical legend
Boulo Valcourt, who is promoting the rediscovery of traditional Haitian
music while showing his deep respect for those he learned from; *Jonas
Attis*, who has earned a reputation as a passionate and soulful singer with
infectious energy onstage and as a composer who has developed his own
distinctive songwriting style that blends traditional *rara *and *Vodou*
with reggae and Haitian pop style; *Nadine Remy*, one of the most powerful
roots singers in the country; *Sanba Zao,* a legend of the *racine* (roots)
music movement in Haiti has been on the musical scene for nearly 30 years -
he is not only a master drummer with an encyclopedic knowledge of
traditional songs and rhythms, but is also a powerful frontman with the
energy of artists half his age; *Peterson “Ti Piti” Joseph* and *James
Carrier*, young *rara *maestros that serve as the engine of Lakou Mizik’s
rhythm section; *Lamarre Junior*, a bassist who grew up playing in church
and has no conflict between *Vodou* and church music; and *Belony Beniste*,
one of the country’s most sought after accordion players and one of the few
young accordionists keeping this important part of Haiti’s musical heritage
alive.
Lakou Mizik’s electrifying shows blend the soulful spirit of a church
revival, the social engagement of a political rally and the trance-inducing
intoxication of a *vodou *ritual. After steadily building a passionate fan
base, Lakou Mizik recorded its acclaimed debut album on the Cumbancha
label, calling out “Wa di yo, nou la toujou” – “You tell them, we’re still
here.” The album, *Wa Di Yo*, was named one of *Songlines *magazine’s Best
Albums of 2016 and was just nominated for a Songlines Music Award for Album
of the Year in the Americas category.
Lakou Mizik’s music reflects the African, French, Caribbean and U.S.
influences that collide in Haiti. The result is a soulful stew of deeply
danceable grooves that feels strangely familiar yet intensely new -- and
totally Haitian. The spirit-stirring rhythms of *vodou *drumming, the
French café lilt of the accordion, and the joyful percussive punctuation of
the *rara* horns are topped with inspiring, socially conscious lyrics.
Music is at the vital core of Haiti’s sense of self and musicians have
always played an important societal role, both in documenting the country’s
history and helping to shape its path forward. Today a young generation of
artists is keeping this tradition alive, narrating the world they live in
through music that is made in their neighborhoods, villages and
post-earthquake camps. Lakou Mizik brings together these musical
generations in celebration of the cultural continuum while using Haiti’s
deep well of creative strength to shine a positive light on this tragically
misrepresented country.
In Haitian Kreyol the word “Lakou” carries multiple meanings. It means the
backyard, a gathering place where people come to sing and dance, to debate
or share a meal. It also means “home” or “where you are from.” In the wake
of the earthquake of 2010 with all its catastrophic news and images, Lakou
Mizik, or “Music from the Homeland,” has defied the negative and become the
musical expression of Haitian pride and hope.
*Made possible in part with public funding provided by the **New York State
Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New
York State legislature.*
Press information: Helene Browning 718-541-2366 <(718)%20541-2366>
mailto:helenebrowningpr@xxxxxxxxx ;<helenebrowningpr@xxxxxxxxx>
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