Mon July 23, 2018
20:30

Somi (USA/F)

Somi: voice
Herve Sambe: guitar
Toru Dodo: piano
Benjamin Williams: bass
Anwar Marshall: drums

The press refers to Somi as the new Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba or Dianne Reeves. But she has long since found her own musical language as a singer and songwriter.

Somi’s roots are in Rwanda and Uganda. For her last album The Lagos Music Salon she moved to Nigeria, her latest album Petite Afrique was created in Harlem. In her songwriting she observes attentively and criticizes sharply. Somi puts her finger in the wound - Bitter sweet she sings, hums, whispers and pants of everyday racism, drugs and violence.

All this is conveyed with playful elegance and musicality. Her songs “gracefully fuse African-tinged grooves, supple jazz singing and compassionate social consciousness; they’re both serious and seductive.”(NY Times)
The audience and the promoters are thrilled: “A festival with an opening like this is approaching the title of excellence. “, says German major newsletter FAZ about Somi’s show at The Enjoy Jazz festival.