[rehearsals... ]

SPECIAL GUESTS

at the Garden Theater MIDTOWN DETROIT

LES NUBIANS’ AFROPEAN REVOLUTION: THE SOUND OF A MULTICULTURAL NEW WORLD

"An unconventional female duo that came out of Bordeaux, France, in the 1990s, Les Nubians offered a jazzy, sophisticated style of R&B that combined French lyrics with the influence of Sade, Soul II Soul, hip-hop, and African pop. The duo consists of sisters Helene and Celia Faussart, who were born in France to a French father and a Cameroonian mother. After living in France as children, the siblings moved with their parents to the African country of Chad in 1985, when Helene (born 1975) was ten and Celia (born 1979) was six. The sisters lived in Chad for seven years before returning to France as teenagers. Helene and Celia had been singing most of their lives, and when they first formed Les Nubians, they were an a cappella group that specialized in covers of R&B, reggae, and African songs. Eventually, they started working with bands and performing original material. Helene and Celia absorbed a variety of music along the way, and they have expressed admiration for artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald and Abbey Lincoln to the Fugeesand African icons Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti. Their promising debut album, Princesses Nubiennes, was released by Virgin worldwide in France, Switzerland, and Belgium in June 1998 before coming out on Omtown/Higher Octave in the U.S. in September of that year. It became America's most successful French-language album in more than a decade, and Les Nubians also graced recordings by Talib Kweli and Black Eyed Peas, as well as a Red Hot tribute to Fela Kuti, Red, Hot & Riot. Sessions for their second album brought the pair to Jamaica, Cameroon, London, and Paris, including a host of intriguing collaborators: top underground rapper Talib Kweli, fellow Cameroonian Manu Dibango, pianist Ray Lema, and broken-beat maestro IG Culture. The results appeared as One Step Forward, released in March 2003 by Higher Octave. In 2004, they recorded the track "Going All the Way" featuring reggae star Beres Hammond for UNITY: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games album. In 2005, Les Nubians issued Nubians Present Echoes, Chapter One, a collection of spoken word pieces by poets and hip-hop artists from the U.S., France, and Africa. The duo also covered "With or Without You," for inclusion on the compilation In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, in 2008. Les Nubians finally re-entered the recording studio in 2010, emerging with the EP Nü Revolution Nubiatic in the latter part of the year and the full-length, Nü Revolution in the spring of 2011." (source: allmusic.com)

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"Petit-Pays (born Adolphe Claude Moundi in Douala, Cameroon in 1967) is a musician. In 1996 he had sold over 50,000 cassettes in one week at the release of his Double Album Class F and Class M. Petit Pays has more than 50 albums to his credit and is the Cameroonian Musician with the highest number of Songs ever. He is also known as OMEGA, Rabba Rabbi, Turbo d’Afrique, Adonai, Le Neveu de Jesus, and recently his latest sobriquet of Effatta and famously Avocat defenseur des femmes (advocate for women), and Avocat defenseur des orphelins (advocate for orphans). He is one of the most celebrated Cameroonian musicians.

Petit-Pays, developed a passion for music and dance from a very early age. At the age of 14 he was performing at at school concerts, joining a choir to learn to perfect his vocal range.

This same desire to learn took him to France in 1985, where he endeavoured to study law. However, it was his love of music that pushed him forward towards a rewarding and successful career, which really took off in 1987, when he teamed up with the producer Eyabé Kwedi to launch his first album called Haoussa. His music has evolved over the years adapting to contemporary African genres. He mixes native Cameroonian makossa with soukous, zouk, and salsa, leading to the portmanteau label of makozouk for some of his music. 

He has a band, known as Petit Pays et Les Sans Visa, which has seen several band members moving on to start their own solo careers over the 1990s and 2000s (decade). It includes artists like Jojo Moussio, Samy Diko, Kaissa Pakito, Samantha Fok, Guy Manu, Njohreur, Xavier Lagaf, Mathematik, Sony 007 and Mony Eka and lots of other successful Makossa musicians.

He is the self crowned king of Makossa. In one of his songs, “Le Jour de ma Mort” (The Day I Die) from the album Class FM and other songs, he compares himself to Fela Kuti of Nigeria, Alpha Blondy of Côte d’Ivoire, Salif Keita of Mali and Youssou N’dour of Senegal. He always gives credit to legends like Francis Bebey, Eboa Lotin and Manu Dibango.

He is known for his sometimes controversial album covers, lyrics and dressing. He caused a stir in the mid-1990s when he posed naked for his album cover King of Makossa (Love Class FM).

In 2015, he launched his reality Tv series titled ‘Ma vie de superstar’ where he lets his fans into his superstar lifestyle."  (source: PetitPays.net)

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RAYSE BIGGS

ON THE TRUMPET

Jazz is His first love and passion but his expressions on the trumpet in various musical genres and styles remains astounding!

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Wendell Harrison 

on Saxophone

A fine clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, Wendell Harrisonhas been an important force in Detroit during the past several decades.

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Maurice "Pirahnahead" Herd

on electric guitar 

Musician, DJ, producer, orchestral arranger/conductor

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MALIK ALSTON

Music Producer, Singer song writer, DJ

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DANCE

Mambo Tse

voted best soukous entertainer with Soukous Stars at the International Reggae and World Music Awards in 2004 and has received many acclaims from organizations she has volunteered in

the founder of Siren-Protectors of the Rainforest and has taken her group on corporate sponsored tours around the United States.

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SPINNING BEFORE & AFTER THE SHOW

DJ Invisible Carl Hollier

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Sabrina Nelson was born in the late 60's during the riots in Detroit Michigan. She is a painter by degree from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Influenced by Yoruba Religion as well as Eastern and African Philosophy her work is a combination of spirit, motion and intimacy. Not limited by 2 dimensions the scope of her work also includes sculpture, objects and installations. 

Sabrina has been a professional artist for over 29 years and an educator for nearly as long. As a studio art teacher at the Detroit Institute of Arts, she lectures and preformed artist demonstrations. She is also on the staff for the College for Creative Studies where she works hard at motivating and preparing students to pursue an art degree in Detroit.

of WDET's The Progressive Underground w/ Chris Campbel

CONTACT US

WITH ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE IN TRANSIT DETROIT ~ SHOW

DABLS MBAD
AFRICAN BEAD MUSEUM
++++

16 years ago Olayami Dabls came to the corner of Grand River and West Grand Blvd with a vision to create a space for his community to understand the immense power of their African heritage. 

Occupying almost an entire city block, the MBAD African Bead Museum houses 18 outdoor installations as well as the African Bead Gallery, N'kisi House and African Language Wall. Born of his own visual cosmology, Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum is a quiet revolution that sparks a vital conversation with global and local audiences.  

313.898.3007 . 6559 GRAND RIVER AVE, DETROIT MI 48208 . 12PM - 7PM  MONDAY - SATURDAY