Elena Pinderhughes & Lionel Loueke:
A Diaspora Journey

Monday, February 20

7:00 PM      

A five-part musical suite, A Diaspora Journey explores the myriad musical traditions – spanning time and continents – to reflect the many ways that Black people and cultures have expressed and told their stories. The suite blends and integrates musical traditions from throughout the African Diaspora; highlighting similarities in rhythms, melody, and harmony that are found in different regions and that continue to evolve and change with each coming generation. This concert is the world-premiere of this suite, which was commissioned by Kuumbwa Jazz. Composer and flutist Elena Pinderhughes has composed the suite with musical collaborator and guitarist Lionel Loueke. Together, their distinctive vocal techniques will be complemented by Pinderhughes’ flute and Loueke’s guitar. The suite will highlight how African diasporic musical traditions are a vital source of unity, comfort, resiliency, and strength for Black people all over the world. Compositionally, the piece will explore the history that stems from the Diaspora, and will incorporate a wide range of sounds and rhythms from the past through to present-day. These sounds and rhythms will not only encompass a range of musical genres, but also significant geographic locations, such as Benin, Ghana, and other West African countries, Cuba, New York City, New Orleans, Memphis, and other southern American cities.

A Diaspora Journey was made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that also is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

$42–$21 Tickets & Info