It was a busy Afropop Sunday in Harlem on October 6. Starting at 11AM at, Arturo O'Farrill and his consummate band, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra hosted a celebration of Hispanic Heritage in New York with an opening set, and a full afternoon of performances at the Robert Frederick Smith Center in Riverside State Park. The event was a rally and celebration of the coming Casa Belongó Music and Arts Center, a coming performance and learning facility for preserving all the musics of the Americas. As O'Farrill noted, groundbreaking begins in 2025, and the planned opening is in 2027. The crowd at Riverside Park was not waiting to kick off the dancing. They were on their feet at noon!
(Photos by Banning Eyre)
It was tough to leave this lively scene, but we had to head to the Marcus Garvey Amphitheater for an event, co-sponsored by Afropop Worldwide, the second annual Harlem Meet Africa festival. Natu Camara, a fast-rising singer/bandleader from Guinea, has for years embraced Harlem as her home, and has worked tirelessly with a dedicated team to make this event part of an ongoing celebration of Harlem's deep African roots and vibrant African life today. Camara gave the closing set of the day, but before that, eight other Harlem-based groups took the stage, starting with a rousing percussion blowout led by Mamoudou Konaté, followed by some delightful African dance by Harlem Youth Performers. And we're talking youth!
Nkumu Katalay revved things up nicely with a strong shot of Congolese dance music. The man is a dynamo on stage, and the Congo vibe hit the spot just right on a sunny Harlem afternoon.
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A surprise for us was the spectacle staged by rapper, singer and visual artist Sista Zock. She and two other women entered on stilts and rocked the scene with hip-hop and r&b and non-stop action. Singing, rapping, dancing and acrobatics ensued, at one point graced with clouds or incense from one of the stilt women. Apparently, Sista Zock also designed the stage's snappy artwork. She's a force of nature to be sure, and someone we need to know better.
Harlem's African-American heritage was showcased in a tight, punchy set from a group called Waiters of Happyness.
One of Harlem's treasured West African artists, balafon maestro Famoro Kouyaté, displayed his joyous prowess on the wooden keys. His band was excellent as always, and a young singer named Sayon, a relative of Famoro's, joined him on powerhouse praise vocals.
Perhaps the most electrifying set of the day came from Wazumbians, a unique Ghanaian band currently enjoying an extended stay in the U.S.. Leader Wazumbi cuts a mean presence onstage with his over-the-shoulder keyboard and megawatt smile. The grooves are both fierce and joyous and nobody wanted them to stop, but the show must go on!
And then it was Natu Camara's moment. She and her band didn't have long before the 7PM cutoff, but they used the time well, with propulsive grooves, powerful vocals from Natu, and a sweet moment of audience-participation singing, rounding out a perfect day in Harlem.
By the way, Natu is soon to release her new album, with some surprising guest artists. Stay tuned to Afropop.org for more on that!
