Somi
A few years ago, acclaimed East African vocalist and songwriter, Somi, decided to move from New York City to Lagos, Nigeria for 18 months in search of new inspiration. The result: a new album she calls The Lagos Music Salon, that straddles the worlds of African jazz, soul, and pop. When released, it landed at #1 on US Jazz charts with Vogue Magazine simply calling it “Superb!” Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, the African and Jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound.
Ginkgoa
Ginkgoa is a French/American Pop Electro-swing band founded in Paris. She comes from New York, he lives in Paris – her name is Nicolle Rochelle, his name is Antoine Chatenet, and fighting against all the odds of their geographic destiny, they found each other. It was 2010, after four years of touring Europe, Nicolle stumbled upon Antoine’s productions and instantly, upon hearing his songs, recognized herself within the sound and fell in love with his musical style. That very same evening they met by pure chance in a Parisian jazz club, and GINKGOA was born.
3rd Annual Global Crossroads
The band selected for this year’s Festival is Funkadesi, a multicultural group that incorporates Bollywood, Bhangra, Reggae, Funk, and Afro-Caribbean music and dance.