Sunday June 20 3:00 PM
Central Park SummerStage
New York, NY
Iconic innovators from Mali and Haiti set the standards for global celebratory music, and are joined by the next generation of international visionaries.
Presented in association with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy with additional support from the French Bureau Export
Now in its fourth year, Make Music New York is a festival of free concerts throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Inspired by the French “Fête de la Musique” which takes place every year during the Summer Solstice in more than 327 cities around the world, this unique event is a global celebration of music.
Salif Keita’s career as a musician will always be colored by a history of ostracism due to his albinism, and the fact that he is a member of the Royal Family of Mali and the caste restrictions that should have barred him from becoming a performer. Instead, “The Golden Voice of Africa,” has become one of the most celebrated African vocalists of all time. With a career that spans four decades, his undeniable musical influence has had an impact worldwide — from western pop and rock to Pink Floyd, among others.
Tabou Combo is Haiti’s preeminent high-energy dance band, singing in English, Spanish, French and their native Creole. Tabou’s fresh interpretation of konpa borrows equally from Haiti’s traditional drum-heavy carnival music, the meringue of the Dominican Republic, and American R&B and soul.
Lo’Jo is a sextet that builds on France’s popular art form of street performance to reflect their diverse communal culture, and truly push the traditional music into a modern context by incorporating a variety of international grooves.
FREE!