Somi

US-based, Grammy-nominated Rwandan and Ugandan singer-songwriter Somi’s Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba lovingly celebrates the musical contributions of the late "first lady of African song." With intergenerational contributions by Seun Kuti, Thandiswa Mazwai, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Angelique Kidjo, a pan-Africanist thread runs through this 17-track commemoration, released on what would have been Makeba’s 90th birthday. Articulating Makeba’s sonic vocabulary, Somi distils messages of womanhood, homecoming, social justice, and political strife while employing and re-imagining several idioms. Scouring Makeba’s catalogue, South African jazz of yesteryear coalesces with contemporary contexts to both memorialize and reinvigorate. The sanguine keys of the Gregory Porter-assisted “Love Tastes Like Strawberries” meet the arresting vocal performances of both Somi and folk artist Msaki on “Khuluma”. It’s the electronically-tinged rework of “Pata Pata” that best encapsulates Somi’s aims by crafting melodies with darker hues to explore Makeba’s ethos more broadly.

Petite Afrique, the new album from superb jazz chanteuse Somi, is a song cycle inspired by the vibrant African immigrant community that has become a vital part of Harlem s cultural dimension and to New York City as a whole. The historic uptown neighborhood fondly boasts of West 116th Street as "Little Africa," where passersby can find any number of African immigrant shops selling a vast array of products and food. Over the last decade, gentrification has crept deeper into Harlem, pushing the African immigrants out. With Petite Afrique, Somi ensures that the stories and struggles of New York City's largest African community do not disappear without having ever been told. The songs on the album are based on Somi's conversations with diverse members of the Harlem community reflecting on themes of transnationalism, cultural difference, assimilation and gentrification. Blending modern jazz, African music and the singer-songwriter tradition, Petite Afrique is an amalgamation of the musical and cultural worlds that resonate with Somi as an African AND American woman and a proud Harlemite.

Recorded live at Alte Oper (Germany) with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. Arranged and conducted by John Beasley and also featuring Somi's longtime collaborators Hervé Samb (guitar) and Toru Dodo (piano).