Cheik Lô, Scala, London
13 January 2011 07:30 PM
THURSDAY 13 JANUARY 2011
AGMP PROUDLY PRESENTS
CHEIKH LO
PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS
This show has been moved from 10th Nov. Original tickets will be valid. Please see point of sale for refunds. We apologise for any inconvenience caused
One of Africa's great musical mavericks, Senegalese sufi troubadour Cheikh Lo was born in 1955 in Burkina Faso to Senegalese parents. He began his musical career as a vocalist and percussionist, playing Afro-Cuban music in local bands before moving to Senegal in 1978, where learnt to play drums and guitar. A sojourn in Paris as a session drummer with Congolese bands was followed by a return to Dakar where he gigged and released a number of solo cassettes. He was eventually discovered by Youssou N'Dour who produced his breakthrough Ne La Thiass album, which saw his unique acoustic take on Senegal's dominant, hard-driving mbalax sound gain a large and dedicated local following. The album saw similar success on its international release by World Circuit, earning him the accolade of Best Newcomer at the All-Africa Kora Awards.
Lo has continued to plough an individual furrow, honing his personal musical style, playing regularly in clubs in Senegal's capital Dakar, releasing a further two acclaimed albums on World Circuit and gaining powerful responses to live shows in Europe and the U.S.A.
In 2010 he released Jamm, his first new album in five years. Crowned by Lo's inimitably affecting, bitter-sweet vocals, this is a rich brew described by Lo himself as 'un jarrasse': a rainbow of sounds and influences that echoes the multi-coloured clothing he wears as a Baye Fall, the uniquely Senegalese Islamic sect to which he dedicates his life and music.
Time: 7:30pm until 11pm
Admission: £20 in advance. 18+ event
Tickets: www.ticketweb.co.uk 08444 771 000 or Scala box office between 10am and 6pm Mon-Fri for ticket purchase (not collection)