But we learned them and Souljazz ended up doing a whole show with him. I said ‘of course’ and was given this huge bible of pretty complicated charts. “Dele came up to me at the Afrikadey! Festival in Calgary,” Chrétien recalled, “said he needed some backing musicians and would we help him out. The group entered the court of the Afrobeat king that year when it crossed paths with Dele Sosimi, Fela’s keyboard player in his Egypt 80 band. The band’s second album, 2007’s Freedom No Go Die, was collaboration with Burundi musician the Mighty Popo explicitly subtitled “An Exploration of the Revolutionary Sounds of Afrobeat Music.” We’re still looking to get to Africa which, when it happens, will like a pilgrimage for us.”Īfter forming in 2005, Souljazz members-including horn players Zakari Frantz, Steve Patterson and Ray Murray, percussionist Marielle Rivard and drummer Philippe Lafrenière-made the journey deep into the heart of Fela’s musical world. “We were invited to play the Shrine (Fela’s club in Lagos) by the Kuti family, but things got complicated with flights and visas and it fell through unfortunately. “We’ve gotten close so many times,” explains Chrétien, the group’s classically trained composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. That Souljazz has never been to Africa is surprising, given the band’s close association with the sounds of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, who died in 1997. Souljazz leader Pierre Chrétien says the six-piece ensemble also hopes to reach South America and Africa for the first time this year. This summer is no different, as the group-hot on the heels of its excellent sixth album, Inner Fire-continues to blaze a trail at festivals on both continents. Listening to the Souljazz Orchestra is like to taking a rhythm-crazed, horn-drenched trip across the planet, hopping from Latin salsa and Caribbean funk to African beats and jazz from east and west.įor a dozen years, the tropically inspired, Ottawa-based band has crisscrossed Europe and North America, introducing its exotic musical mosaic to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim.
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June 2023
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