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YANKARI AFROBEAT COLLECTIVE

Playing the music of Fela Kuti & tracks from their forthcoming album on Love Universal

Yankari Afrobeat Collective bring the music of Fela Kuti to Cyprus Avenue on Sunday 25th October for an afternoon show as part of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.

Led by Nigerian composer and bandleader Segun Akano, the ten-piece orchestra combines Afrobeat, highlife and jazz, with driving percussion, interlocking guitar lines and a powerful horn section. Their live performances put the groove at the centre of everything, giving the music room to build and the audience plenty of reason to move.

For this show, Yankari will draw on the music of Fela Kuti, whose pioneering sound brought together West African rhythms, jazz and funk with outspoken political commentary. His influence runs throughout Yankari’s work, both in their approach to rhythm and in their belief that music can carry a message while filling a dancefloor.

Alongside Fela’s music, the collective will perform tracks from their forthcoming debut album on Love Universal. This original material carries that Afrobeat tradition forward, bringing the band’s own writing and contemporary influences into the set.

With a full ten-piece ensemble on stage, this Sunday afternoon performance offers a chance to hear Fela’s music played live by a collective rooted in its sound, alongside a first taste of Yankari’s next chapter.

Description supplied by the event organiser.