Mokoomba and Mandingo Ambassadors at BRIC House 2/22

BRIC presents Mokoomba, an electrifying blend of Afro-fusion, funk, ska, pop, and traditional Zimbabwe rhythms (February 22). The band kicks off 2018's BRIC House Sessions, a series of world-class concerts reflecting the diversity of Brooklyn that bring the ethos of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival to Fort Greene. Drawing inspiration from the Tonga people and their vibrant life, music, and culture, Mokoomba is regarded as one "of the most entertaining young bands in Africa" (The Guardian), "a band that deserves to be seen live" (NPR). After multiple tours across Africa, Europe, and Asia, they put on a tight show with excellent musicianship, powerful vocals, and fun choreography that leaves audiences wanting more. Mandingo Ambassadors, whose music is "structured to make you feel good" (The New York Times), open the party with their Afro-jazz grooves.

Mokoomba, the six-piece band from the Zimbabwean border town Victoria Falls, released their second full length LP, Luyando ("mother's love" in Tongan), in February 2017-a more acoustic turn for the group whose first full album, Rising Tide, was a danceable blend of Tonga rhythms and contemporary Zimbabwean rock, drawing influence from across a multitude of genres. Luyando largely speaks to life in Victoria Falls, where band-members met in school.

The band told Rhythm Passport, "Luyando was a way not quite to go back, because we never left, but rather to demonstrate our idea of how our traditional music intersects with our everyday life experiences and music influences as we live and work in Zimbabwe." Mokoomba's lead vocalist, Mathias Muzaza, sings in multiple languages, including Tonga, English, Nyanja, Lubale, and Shona, nodding to the melting pot culture along the northwestern Zimbabwean border near Zambia, Namibia, and Botswana.

Tickets may be purchased online at BRICartsmedia.org or via phone at 877.987.6487. The Box Office at BRIC House is open on performance days, one hour prior to the event. BRIC House is located at647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. BRIC House is open weekdays and Saturday at 8am and Sundays at 10am.

About Mokoomba

Mokoomba brings audiences an electrifying blend of Afro-fusion and tantalizing traditional Tonga rhythms. Their mix of Zimbabwean rhythms, Afrobeat and Afrorock generated exuberant scenes in over 75 concerts in 2017: from New Orleans Jazz Festival to Sziget Festival featured in Songlines Magazin, Arte TV, Afropop and many more. The name Mokoomba stems from the deep respect that the Tonga people have for the Zambezi River and for the vibrant life that it brings to their music and culture.

About Mandingo Ambassadors

The Mandingo Ambassadors was founded in New York City by griot-guitarist Mamady Kouyaté in 2005. As a veteran of the great orchestras of the golden age of Guinean dance bands, Mamady is a living library of musical science inherited from his ancestors and from a half century of experience as an arranger, band leader, accompanist and soloist.

Mamady Kouyaté carried this heritage with him to New York, where he has collaborated with members of the West African diaspora and Western musicians to continue the great tradition and sound of Guinean Afro-jazz.

Since the summer of 2008 the group has been in residence at Barbes, performing every Wednesday night at this well-known Brooklyn venue. In addition, they have performed at many clubs, events and festivals including Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Celebrate Brooklyn, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.

About BRIC

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. We present and incubate work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that surrounds us. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Our main venue, BRIC House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio, and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.

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