San Jose » Calendar » Somi at Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Somi at Kuumbwa Jazz Center

Courtesy of Bennett Jackson | Posted on August 21, 2015

Where

Kuumbwa Jazz Center
320-2 Cedar Street
Santa Cruz, CA
Map
831-427-2227

When

Thu, October 8, 2015
7:00 pm

Get Ticket

Musicians

Somi
vocals
Ben Williams
bass, electric
Toru Dodo
piano

About

Born in Illinois to Rwandan and Ugandan parents, Somi’s sound has been influenced by African musical icons such as Miriam Makeba and jazz legends such as Nina Simone. In fact, JazzTimes notes that her performances contain “the earthy gutsiness of [Simone] blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves…” In 2011 Somi moved from New York City to Lagos for eighteen months, seeking inspiration. The resulting album, The Lagos Music Salon, was released in 2014 as her major label debut and landed at the #1 spot on the US jazz charts. A scholar and a TED Senior Fellow, Somi involves global discourse in her music in a fresh, engaging way...

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