Ali Baba & the Blessing Band Brings Traditional West African Music to the Levitt Pavilion L.A.
A Free Outdoor Summer Concert in MacArthur Park Offers Audiences a Unique Experience of Ancient Malian Traditions, Song and Dance to Promote International Cultural Exchange
Los Angeles, CA, July 10, 2015 (Newswire.com) - World singer, Ali Baba & The Blessing Band will present the traditional sounds of West Africa to Los Angeles as part of the 2015 Summer Concert Series produced by the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park on Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 8 p.m. Located at the beautiful, outdoor amphitheater, the venue opens at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. This annual event features a diverse lineup of 50 musical performances from acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award-winning artists making live music and the arts accessible to all.
Ali Baba’s “cultural exchange” concert aims to introduce Malian arts & culture to America. His powerful, melismatic vocals sung in indigenous tribal languages combined with English will enlighten and entertain western audiences whose need for cultural roots reflect their own sense of communal loss. The Blessing Band is comprised of African dancers, background singers, and musicians playing authentic instruments such as; the 21 string harp-like Korah, the Djembe drum and more to create an exciting evening of exotic Saharan desert blues--the heart and soul of West Africa.
As an Arts & Culture advocate, this free concert is meant to bridge the gap between America and Africa through the use of music.
Nina Womack, Media Rep
Born as Ali Kamiya Ba in Bankass, a small rural village below the cliffs of Bandiagara, home to the legendary Dogon people, Ali spent many years in Mali as a successful tour guide and a professional singer. A multi-cultural mix of the Malinke' and nomadic Fulani tribe, Ali speaks five languages; Fulbe, Dogon, Bambara, French and English. “It is an honor to present my culture to others like I did back home. Moving to the U.S. sixteen years ago was stressful. Everything was unfamiliar; the weather, language, food, clothing, and customs. I want to share my music with America and around the world,” states Ali Baba.
Mali is the eighth largest country in Africa with a population of 14.5 million people. Once a major empire, it controlled the trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, and other precious commodities. Many ethnomusicologists claim that American Jazz and Blues have their roots from West Africa. Events such as this enhance mutual understanding across cultures and highlight the importance of diversity and tolerance.
About The Levitt Pavilion
The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts Los Angeles (LevittLA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2007, which presents 50 summer concerts annually. Admission is always FREE. Since its inception, over 250,000 people have gathered in MacArthur Park to picnic on the grassy lawn and enjoy music under the stars.
For more information, contact Nina Womack at (877) 594-1292.