I am excited to announce that I am performing at the Jazz à Ouaga 2018 Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso! This is particularly special for me because this will be my second time performing in Ouagadougou. I’m bringing three musicians : Daniel Gassin (piano), Jerry Thompson III (bass) and Ismael Nobur (drums) and we will be there for about a week. In addition to jazz concerts throughout the city we are also conducting masterclasses on music business fundamentals, musicianship and playing your instrument with a group.
Last time I was in Ouagadougou it was July 2015 and the people that I met there, now feel like family. In addition to the Burkinabé whom I love, this is the place where I bought the most instruments to date. The crafts in Ouagadougou are incredible and I took many trips to the Village Artisanal to speak with the artisans and learn more about what they make : jewelry, scarfs, wood instruments, paintings, clothing, metal products, etc.
This time I am looking forward to meeting more Burkinabé musicians and collaborating with them to explore more of the traditional music, especially the use of the Kora.
I can go on and on about Burkina Faso and my experience there, but pictures speak louder than words…
